Raymond Smith Jr.
DFormer North Carolina State Representative, District 21 (2019-2023)
Won the March 3, 2026 Democratic primary with 56.7% of the vote.
Raymond Smith Jr. is the Democratic nominee challenging incumbent Gregory Murphy in North Carolina's 3rd Congressional District. He is a former two-term state representative, Gulf War Army veteran, and consultant campaigning on healthcare access, education funding, and infrastructure.[4]
Basic profile — the most important sourced facts we found.
On the record — official actions
- action2019-2023 · Served two terms in the North Carolina House of Representatives representing District 21 (Wayne and Sampson counties), from January 2019 to January 2023, sitting on the Education-Community Colleges, Local Government, and Federal Relations committees.[4]
Positions on the issues
- SupportsExpand public health coverage
Lists quality, affordable healthcare among his top campaign priorities.[5]
In their words — priorities
- Investing in public schools, reducing class sizes, and supporting teachers with resources; providing equitable education for all students.[5]
- Economic development and job creation, including modernizing water, sewer and broadband infrastructure.[5]
- Quality, affordable healthcare and lower costs for working families.[5]
Background
- Born in Goldsboro, North Carolina; served in the U.S. Army during the Gulf War.[4]
- Earned a bachelor's degree from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University (1992), a master's degree from North Carolina Central University (1998), and a Ph.D. from Fayetteville State University (2020).[4]
- Was elected the first African American at-large member of the Wayne County Board of Education, serving as vice chairman, before serving two terms in the North Carolina House of Representatives (District 21, 2019-2023), where he sat on the Education-Community Colleges and Local Government committees.[4]
- Career experience includes working as a consultant, transportation professional, and teacher.[4]
Campaign money
Raised $223K · spent $137K · $74K cash on hand (through 2026-06-30) FEC filing ↗