2026 results · North Carolina · North Carolina 3rd District
Greg Murphy, the Republican, leads in the race for North Carolina's 3rd District
Murphy leads by 233 votes of 237,904 counted. Donald Trump carried the district by 13.4 points in 2024; this year's count is a 13.3-point move toward the Democrats.
| Candidate | Votes | Share | Share of the vote |
|---|---|---|---|
| Greg MurphyRepublican, incumbent | 117,583 | 49.4% | |
| Raymond SmithDemocrat | 117,350 | 49.3% | |
| Daniel CavenderLibertarian | 2,971 | 1.3% |
Not called: within 1.5 points, it goes to the count and the state's recount rules. How we call races →
Nearly all of the expected vote counted237,904 votesCount last changed Nov 7, 5:07 PM ESTSource: North Carolina State Board of Elections
The map
Loading the map.
About the seat
North Carolina's 3rd District takes in all or part of 9 counties. The Republicans held it before this election. Its voters went R+13.4 for president in 2024. Its move from that vote, 13.3 points toward the Democrats, ranks 13 of 14 among the state's districts, counting from the largest move toward the Democrats.
- 2024 president
- R+13.4
- Move from 2024, rank in state
- 13 of 14
- Pitt County26%
- Onslow County20%
- Wayne County16%
- Wilson County12%
- Lenoir County8%
- Duplin County7%
- Sampson County6%
- Greene County3%
- 1 more2%
Shares are of the votes counted this year. The district was redrawn for 2026 or had no contest in 2024, so no 2024 House race compares like for like.
What the count shows
Added together, the 9 counties compared moved 13.1 points toward the Democrats from the 2024 presidential vote.
The counties compared cast 68% as many votes as in 2024, from 78% in Sampson County to 59% in Onslow County.
Onslow County moved most: R+34.9 for president in 2024, R+18.6 this year
The 9 counties with the largest moves from the 2024 presidential vote, among those with 2,000 or more votes for president in 2024 and a quarter of that counted. Each line runs from the 2024 margin to this year’s.
2024 president 2026
Onslow County added 19,387 net votes for Smith against the 2024 margin, 42% of the district's change
Across the 9 counties compared, the margin moved by 45,888 votes toward Smith: this year’s lead in votes against the 2024 presidential lead in votes, county by county. The figure counts voters who changed sides and differences in who turned out alike; the count cannot tell them apart.
- Onslow County+19,387 Smith
- Wayne County+8,001 Smith
- Pitt County+5,366 Smith
- Wilson County+3,816 Smith
- Duplin County+3,691 Smith
- Sampson County+2,064 Smith
- Lenoir County+2,008 Smith
- Greene County+934 Smith
1 county Donald Trump carried in 2024 is led by Smith this year
Striped on the map above. Largest first.
- Lenoir CountyR+6.8D+0.5
How the vote came in
Smith did best among mail ballots (D+41.0) and Murphy among Election Day votes(R+21.2).
- Early Voting151,114 votes, 64% of the countD+10.4
- Election Day82,779 votes, 35% of the countR+21.2
- Absentee by Mail4,011 votes, 2% of the countD+41.0
The office’s own categories, as it reports them. Margins are within each kind of vote.
North Carolina’s ballot
All of North Carolina’s resultsThe state legislatureBallot measures
The seats that changed party
Statewide
U.S. HouseBefore the election R 10–4, now D 10–4, counting the leaders in 4 uncalled seats
won leads, still counting changed party. Margins are the leader’s share minus the runner-up’s, in points.
Every count on this page is the official count published by the North Carolina State Board of Elections. Counts are unofficial until the state certifies them. The 2024 comparison is the presidential vote, Kamala Harris against Donald Trump, on the same ground. Margins are the Democrat minus the Republican, in points of all votes.