Jerry R. Tillett
Jerry R. Tillett (Republican Party) is a judge for Judicial District 1 of the North Carolina 1st Superior Court Division. He assumed office in 1993. His current term ends on December 31, 2026.
Tillett (Republican Party) is running for election to the North Carolina State Senate to represent District 1. He is on the ballot in the Republican primary on March 3, 2026.[source]
Tillett completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. Click here to read the survey answers.
The North Carolina Superior Courts are split into five divisions and 48 districts. Superior court judges rotate among the districts within their division every six months.[1] However, superior court judges are elected by voters in their district and must reside in the district in which they are elected.[2]
Education
Tillett received both his undergraduate degree and his J.D. from Wake Forest University.[3]
Elections
2026
See also: North Carolina State Senate elections, 2026
General election
The primary will occur on March 3, 2026. The general election will occur on November 3, 2026. General election candidates will be added here following the primary.
General election for North Carolina State Senate District 1
Melissa Zehner (D) is running in the general election for North Carolina State Senate District 1 on November 3, 2026.
Candidate | ||
| Melissa Zehner (D) | ||
| ||||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary
The Democratic primary scheduled for March 3, 2026, was canceled. Melissa Zehner (D) advanced from the Democratic primary for North Carolina State Senate District 1 without appearing on the ballot.
Republican primary
Republican primary for North Carolina State Senate District 1
David Forsythe (R), Cole Johnson (R), Jay Lane (R), and Jerry R. Tillett (R) are running in the Republican primary for North Carolina State Senate District 1 on March 3, 2026.
Candidate | ||
 | David Forsythe | |
| Cole Johnson | ||
| Jay Lane | ||
 | Jerry R. Tillett | |
| ||||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Endorsements
Ballotpedia is gathering information about candidate endorsements. To send us an endorsement, click here.
2018
See also: Municipal elections in Durham County, North Carolina (2018)
General election
General election for North Carolina 1st Superior Court Division Judicial District 1
Incumbent Jerry R. Tillett won election in the general election for North Carolina 1st Superior Court Division Judicial District 1 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Jerry R. Tillett (R) | 100.0 | 38,584 |
| Total votes: 38,584 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
2010
Tillett was elected after running unopposed.[4] Though judicial candidates do not run with party affiliation, he was endorsed by the North Carolina Democratic Party.[5]
- See also: North Carolina judicial elections, 2010
Campaign themes
2026
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Jerry R. Tillett completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Tillett's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
| Collapse all
- Law and order.
- Regulatory reform.
- Economic prosperity.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
Campaign finance summary
Campaign finance information for this candidate is not yet available from OpenSecrets. That information will be published here once it is available.
See also
2026 Elections
External links
|
Candidate North Carolina State Senate District 1 |
Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑ North Carolina Judicial Branch, "North Carolina Superior Court: About," accessed October 9, 2019
- ↑ North Carolina Judicial Branch, "Court Officials: Superior Court Judges," accessed October 9, 2019
- ↑ Martindale.com, Judge Profile: Jerry R. Tillett
- ↑ North Carolina Secretary of State, Unofficial 2010 General Election Results
- ↑ North Carolina Democratic Party, Democratic Superior Court Judge Candidates
Federal courts:
Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: Eastern District of North Carolina, Middle District of North Carolina, Western District of North Carolina • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: Eastern District of North Carolina, Middle District of North Carolina, Western District of North Carolina
State courts:
Supreme Court of North Carolina • North Carolina Court of Appeals • North Carolina Superior Courts • North Carolina District Courts
State resources:
Courts in North Carolina • North Carolina judicial elections • Judicial selection in North Carolina
