NC candidate accused of finance violation. Now she may give lobbyist’s money back
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Rep. Sarah Stevens faces scrutiny for accepting $6,800 campaign contribution.
- Campaign adviser recommends refund but says law treats judicial candidates unequally.
- Donation from lobbyist Harold Brubaker occurred during NC legislative session.
A Republican candidate for North Carolina Supreme Court is accused of violating campaign finance law by accepting a donation from a lobbyist while serving as a sitting lawmaker.
Longtime campaign finance watchdog Bob Hall filed a complaint Thursday with the State Board of Elections alleging that Rep. Sarah Stevens broke the law in June when she took a $6,800 campaign contribution — the maximum allowed — from Harold Brubaker, a registered lobbyist and former Republican speaker of the state House.
“The law’s focus is clearly on prohibiting a lobbyist’s contribution that directly benefits a legislator,” Hall wrote in his complaint.
NC Newsline first reported the news of Brubaker’s contribution on Thursday.
Paul Shumaker, an adviser to Stevens’ campaign, said he believes the prohibition presents an inconsistency in state law because state lawmakers running for federal office are allowed to take contributions from lobbyists while serving in the General Assembly. Most recently, former House Speaker Tim Moore helped fund his congressional campaign with donations from lobbyists.
Furthermore, judicial candidates who don’t currently serve in the legislature are allowed to accept donations from lobbyists, meaning that the prohibition would not apply to Stevens’ opponent, Democratic Justice Anita Earls.
The issue could be challenged in court, Shumaker said, but for now he has advised Stevens to refund the donation.
“If the lobbyists want to fight for their First Amendment right to political free speech on what clearly is an unconstitutional statute, they could choose to do so,” he said. “In the last 17 years, we’ve never found one willing to do that.”
Asked whether Brubaker’s contribution violates state law, a spokesperson for the State Board of Elections told The News & Observer that the agency does not comment on specific transactions until completing an examination of a report.
State law says lobbyists may not make campaign contributions to state lawmakers and adds additional restrictions on contributions while the General Assembly is in session.
Brubaker’s donation was made on June 30, per campaign finance records, when the legislature was still in session.
Hall said the law is clear that the contribution is prohibited even though it is intended for a judicial campaign, rather than a legislative one.
“I do not doubt that (Brubaker and Stevens) believe that the $6,800 contribution was legal,” he wrote. “They did not intend to break state law. However, I believe the contribution should be declared illegal and forfeited.”
According to lobbying records kept by the secretary of state, Brubaker is registered to lobby for a variety of companies and organizations this year, including Amazon, Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina and the North Carolina Bankers Association.
Stevens’ campaign finance reports show she accepted a contribution from at least one other lobbyist. Andy Munn, who is registered to lobby for AARP North Carolina and a variety of other clients, donated $1,500 to her campaign in June.
Stevens is the only Republican who has announced a campaign to take Earls’ seat so far.
Earls is one of only two Democrats on the high court. While flipping the court’s 5-2 Republican majority is not on the table in 2026, Democrats hope that defending Earls’ seat will make it easier for the party to regain control in 2028, when three Republican justices are up for reelection.
So far, Earls’ campaign has significantly outraised Stevens’, bringing in over $585,000 in contributions. That’s over four times as much as Stevens has raised, having reported about $141,000 in total contributions in her most recent campaign finance report.
The race comes on the heels of a chaotic six-month legal battle over the results of the 2024 Supreme Court election, in which Republican candidate Jefferson Griffin unsuccessfully attempted to overturn his narrow loss to Democratic incumbent Allison Riggs.
This story was originally published August 8, 2025 at 12:27 PM.
