NC warns Supreme Court candidate over ‘prohibited’ lobbyist campaign donation
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- State Board of Elections warned GOP Supreme Court candidate over lobbyist gift.
- Board found insufficient evidence of intentional violation after probe into $6,800.
- Stevens returned the $6,800; critics and advisers debate the law's inequity.
The North Carolina State Board of Elections sent a warning letter last week to state Rep. Sarah Stevens, the Republican candidate for Supreme Court, after she was accused of violating the law by accepting campaign contributions from two lobbyists.
“As a member of the General Assembly in June 2025, Rep. Sarah Stevens and (her campaign committee) were prohibited from receiving contributions from registered lobbyists,” the letter, addressed to Stevens’ campaign treasurer, said. “Please be advised of this limitation and take proper precautions to prevent any violations of North Carolina’s campaign finance laws.”
Bob Hall, a longtime campaign finance watchdog who initially filed the complaint against Stevens, also received a letter from the board informing him that, although Stevens and the lobbyist had been issued a warning, the investigation “revealed insufficient evidence of an intentional violation.”
The investigation stems from a $6,800 contribution — the maximum amount — that Stevens received in June from Harold Brubaker, a registered lobbyist and former Republican speaker of the state House. She also received $1,500 from Andy Munn, another lobbyist.
Stevens later returned both donations.
State law prohibits sitting lawmakers from accepting campaign contributions from a lobbyist, even though the donation was for Stevens’ judicial campaign.
“It’s good the State Board has educated and warned all the parties involved,” Hall said in a statement. “But it is troubling that a legislator who chairs the House Election Law Committee and who seeks a seat on the Supreme Court did not understand the plain language of these statutes.”
Paul Shumaker, an adviser to Stevens’ campaign, said the prohibition presents an inconsistency in state law because state lawmakers are allowed to accept lobbyist contributions if they are running for federal office — just not state or local.
The ban on lobbyist contributions would also not apply to Democratic Justice Anita Earls, Stevens’ opponent in the race.
Shumaker said the letter to Hall “highlights the inequity in the application of the law” and called the issue “old water under the bridge.”
Brubaker was registered to lobby for a variety of companies and organizations last year, including Amazon, Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina and the North Carolina Bankers Association, according to lobbying records.
