Kimberly Y. Best, a Democrat, is running for North Carolina District Court, District 26, Seat 6 (unexpired term), in the Nov. 3, 2026, general election. The State Board of Elections candidate list confirms the candidacy in Mecklenburg County.
Experience and education
Best’s Mecklenburg Bar Association judicial vacancy profile lists a communications degree from the University of Michigan, a law degree from Indiana University and an MBA in management and global studies from UNC Charlotte.
In that profile, Best describes more than 14 years of prior service as a magistrate and District and Superior Court judge. She lists experience in criminal, civil and abuse, neglect and dependency matters, and work at The Best Law Firm.
A 2021 UNC Charlotte report documents her appointment to Superior Court and earlier District Court service beginning in 2009. It identifies her as a 2016 MBA graduate who also previously taught Spanish at J.T. Williams Middle School.
Judicial priorities
Best’s bar profile emphasizes fair and impartial decisions that comply with the law, with attention to individual circumstances. She describes initiatives aimed at better outcomes for young people, people with mental illness and other litigants.
This profile describes Best’s past judicial service without implying uninterrupted current Superior Court tenure.
