How to Read This
Colors reflect constitutional accountability based on publicly verifiable conduct. They are not endorsements or predictions of election outcomes. Ratings are based on the severity, pattern, and context of conduct — not numerical averaging. A single serious breach is sufficient for a Red rating. Green requires affirmative evidence of restraint. N/A indicates the category does not apply to that office or that insufficient comparable evidence exists.
North Carolina serves as the inaugural application of the Constitutional Accountability Scorecard. The framework evaluates contests where outcomes carry significant constitutional impact and where voters face a meaningful electoral choice. For this pilot, CIU evaluated the U.S. Senate, NC Supreme Court, and U.S. House races in NC-01, NC-09, NC-11, and NC-13 — determined to be materially competitive based on publicly reported fundraising data compiled by Ballotpedia.
NC Constitutional Accountability Scorecard
| Contest & Candidate | Use of Force | Rule of Law | Election Integrity |
|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. Senate | |||
| Roy Cooper (D) | N/A¹ | ||
| Michael Whatley (R) | N/A¹ | ||
| NC Supreme Court | |||
| Anita Earls (D, incumbent) | N/A² | ||
| Sarah Stevens (R) | N/A² | ||
| U.S. House — NC-01 | |||
| Don Davis (D, incumbent) | |||
| Laurie Buckhout (R) | |||
| NC-02 — Non-competitive District (not evaluated) | |||
| NC-03 — Non-competitive District (not evaluated) | |||
| NC-04 — Non-competitive District (not evaluated) | |||
| NC-05 — Non-competitive District (not evaluated) | |||
| NC-06 — Non-competitive District (not evaluated) | |||
| NC-07 — Non-competitive District (not evaluated) | |||
| NC-08 — Non-competitive District (not evaluated) | |||
| U.S. House — NC-09 | |||
| Richard Hudson (R, incumbent) | |||
| Richard Ojeda (D) | |||
| NC-10 — Non-competitive District (not evaluated) | |||
| U.S. House — NC-11 | |||
| Chuck Edwards (R, incumbent) | |||
| Jamie Ager (D) | |||
| NC-12 — Non-contested District (not evaluated) | |||
| U.S. House — NC-13 | |||
| Brad Knott (R, incumbent) | |||
| Paul Barringer (D) | |||
| NC-14 — Non-contested District (not evaluated) | |||
Notes & Explanations
¹ Rule of Law — Senate Race (N/A) Rule of Law was marked Not Rated due to insufficient comparable, office-specific evidence across both candidates during the evaluation period. This reflects scope limitations, not performance.
² Use of Force — Judicial Race (N/A) Judicial candidates do not exercise coercive authority; therefore, Use of Force is not applicable to this contest.
The methodology and detailed candidate assessments supporting this Scorecard are available for review and citation.