With 52.77% of the vote, she beat Republican challenger Andy Buckner, who currently works as a prosecutor in the district attorney’s office. Because no Democrats filed for the seat, Hornsby is has a clear path to victory.

The new seat for District 43 — which includes Haywood, Jackson, Macon, Swain, Clay, Graham and Cherokee counties — was included in last year’s state budget, along with a public defender’s office, both of which should alleviate the backlog of cases, especially in the district’s far-west counties.

It’s the first new district court seat in almost two decades.

Hornsby has lived in Macon County since 2018 and has practiced law in the region since 2004. In her 20 years practicing, she’s split her time almost evenly between family law and criminal law.