George Cooper Bell
Republican PartyNC Court of Appeals Judge Seat 2 · Wake County, North Carolina · November 3, 2026
Also on the ballot: Tobias (Toby) Hampson (Democratic Party)
George Cooper Bell is the Republican challenger for NC Court of Appeals Seat 2, currently a Superior Court judge in Mecklenburg County (District 26C) since 2019. He is running against Democratic incumbent Toby Hampson. No campaign finance figures or Trump statements were found.
What this office decides
The North Carolina Court of Appeals is the state's intermediate appeals court: fifteen judges elected statewide in partisan races to eight-year terms, hearing cases in panels of three. It decides most appeals from trial courts and state agencies, including criminal convictions, custody and family cases, business disputes, and challenges to state rules, and its rulings stand unless the Supreme Court takes the case.
How this race lines up with you
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Dossier
Researched 2026-09-23 · Claude Code research agent with web searchDonald Trump: nothing found. No search results found any statement by Donald Trump about Bell's candidacy.
- North Carolina Republican Party (for) source
Who they are
George Cooper Bell is a Republican candidate for North Carolina Court of Appeals Seat 2, challenging incumbent Democrat Toby Hampson. He does not currently hold this seat; he has served as a North Carolina Superior Court judge for District 26C (Mecklenburg County) since taking office in 2019, after winning election in 2018 (Ballotpedia). He holds a business degree from Cornell University and a J.D. from Regent University School of Law (Judge George Bell).
Positions
- Crime & policing: Bell highlights his experience presiding over "more than 100 felony jury trials, including high-stakes cases involving first-degree murder and violent crimes," but has not stated a general sentencing or policing philosophy (Judge George Bell).
- Party politics in courts and agencies: No public position found on partisan vs. nonpartisan judicial elections.
- Business & regulation: No public position found.
- Voting rules: No public position found.
Record
Elected to Mecklenburg County Superior Court (District 26C) in 2018 and has served since 2019, presiding over criminal and civil trials (Ballotpedia; Judge George Bell). The NC State Board of Elections Judicial Voter Guide quotes him: "I follow the rule of law and administer justice impartially, without prejudice or bias" (NCSBE).
Money
No campaign finance totals were found in available sources. Filings, if any, would appear in the NC State Board of Elections campaign finance database (cf.ncsbe.gov).
Recent news
- 2026-01-07: Reported as the lone Republican challenging incumbent Hampson for Seat 2 (Carolina Journal).
- 2026 (undated): The NC Republican Party promoted his candidacy, saying he "brings the experience" to the Court of Appeals (NCGOP Facebook).
What we couldn't find
- No campaign finance figures.
- No explicit positions on the race's value axes beyond general rule-of-law language.
- No Trump endorsement or criticism.