Democrats Pour Money Into State Supreme Court Races Ahead of Redistricting Battles
Liberal groups are spending millions on key state supreme court contests as they aim to shape future redistricting maps.
National Money Floods Into State High Courts
Liberal groups have spent millions in a handful of battleground state supreme court races ahead of Tuesday’s elections, looking to lay the groundwork for Democrats to win control of more courts ahead of a crucial redistricting cycle.
The focus is on Republican‑majority courts in North Carolina and Ohio, where this year’s outcomes could influence the makeup of the benches in 2028. National groups are also funding defenses of the liberal majority on Michigan’s court and an open seat in Montana, where voters will decide whether judicial elections remain nonpartisan.
North Carolina: The Hotspot
Democrats’ defense of a seat currently held by Anita Earls is ‘step No. 2’ to flip the North Carolina Supreme Court, said Anderson Clayton, the state Democratic Party chair. “In 2028, we’re looking at being able to take three Republican seats on that court.”
Clayton noted that Democrats lost four seats on the state supreme court in the 2020 and 2022 elections, and the Republican majority cleared the way for a Republican‑led gerrymandering in 2023. Her group has spent more than $1 million on the state supreme court race. Earls has also drawn support from national Democrats like Pete Buttigieg and Maryland Gov. Wes Moore.
“If we had won a state Supreme Court race then in 2020 in our state, Hakeem Jeffries would be speaker of the House right now,” Clayton added, linking the judicial fight to future congressional majorities “in 2032 and beyond.”
ACLU’s Multi‑Cycle Push
Deirdre Schifeling, the group’s chief political and advocacy officer, said the ACLU has poured $8 million into state supreme court races in North Carolina, Michigan and Montana this year, adding earlier contributions in Georgia and Wisconsin.
The ACLU’s strategy targets “pro‑civil rights, civil liberties majorities” and also includes Arizona, Pennsylvania, Kentucky and Ohio. Resources have been set aside for Wisconsin and Pennsylvania races in 2027, with fundraising for 2028 to begin early next year.
Advertising and Fundraising Disparities
According to estimates from the liberal‑leaning Brennan Center for Justice, more than $14 million has been spent on television ads in North Carolina, Michigan, Ohio and Montana, most benefiting Democratic and liberal‑leaning candidates.
Most liberal candidates have also outraised their conservative rivals. By contrast, Republicans are defending statewide offices and legislatures they already control, leaving fewer resources for judicial contests.
Republican Response
Republican‑aligned groups such as the Republican State Leadership Committee (RSLC) have largely stayed on the sidelines this cycle after warning for months they were being swamped by Democrats. The RSLC’s judicial affiliate reported more than $5 million in expenditures across 2024 and 2025.
RSLC President Edith Jorge‑Tuñón said, Democrats understand what is at stake, and have dumped massive amounts of resources into these contests. The RSLC is fighting back with smart and targeted spending because the investments we make today will determine whether we are positioned to protect our majorities, compete in the next redistricting cycle, and secure Republican victories for years come.
Future Outlook
The National Democratic Redistricting Committee declined to discuss this year’s total spending in judicial races, but NDRC President John Bisognano called the upcoming 2026 and 2028 state supreme court elections “critical to the long‑term fight to protect democracy.”
Industry observers expect spending to climb further. “I think that the money flowing into those races from external interests tells the tale of what big money, big pharma, big data recognize about the next areas that they can seek to leverage and control to their benefit,” said Tish Gotell Faulks, state courts director at the liberal Alliance for Justice Action. “Those interests are now turning to the state courts and seeking to capture those courts as well.”
With state high courts poised to rule on abortion rights, election integrity and future redistricting maps, the influx of money signals that these judicial battles are becoming a central front in the broader partisan struggle.
