North Carolina's 3rd congressional district

"NC-3" redirects here. For the airplane NC-3, see Curtiss NC. For the road, see North Carolina Highway 3.

North Carolina's 3rd congressional district is located on the Atlantic coast of North Carolina. It covers the Outer Banks and the counties adjacent to the Pamlico Sound.

North Carolina's 3rd congressional district
Interactive map of district boundaries since January 3, 2025
Representative	Greg Murphy R–Greenville
Population (2023)	768,524[1]
Median household income	$64,902[1]
Ethnicity	62.2% White 20.2% Black 10.6% Hispanic 4.4% Two or more races 1.6% Asian 1.0% other
Cook PVI	R+10[2]

The district is currently represented by Greg Murphy following a special election after the seat was left vacant following the passing of Walter B. Jones Jr. in February 2019.^[3] Jones had been the district's representative from 1995 until his death. In 2008, he defeated Democrat Craig Weber for reelection, and was challenged in 2010 by former chair of the Pitt County Democratic Party Johnny Rouse, whom he defeated by a vote of 72% to 26% (141,978 votes to 50,600). In 2012, he was challenged by Frank Palombo, the former New Bern Police Chief, for the Republican Party nomination.^[4] The winner of the Republican primary then faced Marine Corps Veteran Erik Anderson in the general election.^[5]

A special election to fill the vacancy caused by Jones's death was held on September 10, 2019. State representative Greg Murphy won the election.^[6]

On February 23, 2022, the North Carolina Supreme Court had approved a new map that was only used for the 2022 United States House of Representatives elections which changed the 3rd district boundaries to include Duplin and Sampson counties and part of Wayne County while removing Chowan, Currituck, Dare, Greene, Pasquotank and Perquimans counties^[7]

On October 25, 2023 the North Carolina General Assembly created and passed a new congressional map shifting the Cook Partisan Voting Index down by 4 points, only slightly changing the district's boundaries.^[8][9][10] With a Cook Partisan Voting Index of R+10, It is considered to be one of the most Republican districts in North Carolina.^[2]

Counties and communities

For the 119th and successive Congresses (based on the districts drawn following a 2023 legislative session), the district contains all or portions of the following counties and communities.^[11][12][13]

Beaufort County (11)

All 11 communities

Carteret County (18)

All 18 communities

Craven County (13)

All 13 communities

Dare County (15)

All 15 communities

Duplin County (15)

All 15 communities

Hyde County (4)

All 4 communities

Jones County (3)

All three communities

Onslow County (10)

All ten communities

Pamlico County (10)

All 10 communities

Pitt County (13)

All 13 communities

Sampson County (14)

Bonnetsville, Clinton, Delway, Garland, Harrells, Ingold, Ivanhoe, Keener, Newton Grove, Roseboro, Salemburg, Spivey's Corner (part; also 7th), Turkey, Vann Crossroads

Recent election results from statewide races

Year	Office	Results[14]
2008	President	McCain 54% - 44%
	Senate	Dole 49% - 48%
	Governor	Perdue 55% - 42%
2010	Senate	Burr 60% - 38%
2012	President	Romney 57% - 43%
	Governor	McCrory 58% - 40%
2014	Senate	Tillis 55% - 41%
2016	President	Trump 57% - 39%
	Senate	Burr 58% - 38%
	Governor	McCrory 58% - 40%
	Lt. Governor	Forest 58% - 39%
	Secretary of State	LaPaglia 54% - 46%
	Auditor	Stuber 55% - 45%
	Attorney General	Newton 57% - 43%
	Treasurer	Folwell 59% - 41%
2020	President	Trump 58% - 41%
	Senate	Tillis 56% - 40%
	Governor	Forest 55% - 43%
	Lt. Governor	Robinson 59% - 41%
	Secretary of State	Sykes 56% - 44%
	Auditor	Street 56% - 44%
	Attorney General	O'Neill 58% - 42%
	Treasurer	Folwell 59% - 41%
2022	Senate	Budd 60% - 38%
2024	President	Trump 60% - 39%
	Governor	Robinson 49% - 46%
	Lt. Governor	Weatherman 56% - 41%
	Secretary of State	Brown 57% - 43%
	Auditor	Boliek 60% - 40%
	Attorney General	Bishop 58% - 42%
	Treasurer	Briner 61% - 39%

List of members representing the district

Member (Residence)	Party	Years	Cong ress	Electoral history	District location
District established April 6, 1790
Timothy Bloodworth (Wilmington)	Anti-Administration	April 6, 1790 – March 3, 1791	1st	Elected in 1790. Redistricted to the 5th district and lost re-election.	1790–1971 "Cape Fear division"
John B. Ashe (Halifax)	Anti-Administration	March 4, 1791 – March 3, 1793	2nd	Redistricted from the 1st district and re-elected in 1791. Redistricted to the 9th district.	1791–1973 [data missing]
Joseph Winston (Surry County)	Anti-Administration	March 4, 1793 – March 3, 1795	3rd	Elected in 1793. Lost re-election.	1793–1803 [data missing]
Jesse Franklin (Orange County)	Democratic-Republican	March 4, 1795 – March 3, 1797	4th	Elected in 1795. Lost re-election.
Robert Williams (Surry County)	Democratic-Republican	March 4, 1797 – March 3, 1803	5th 6th 7th	Elected in 1796. Re-elected in 1798. Re-elected in 1800. Redistricted to the 7th district and retired to run for governor of North Carolina.
William Kennedy (Washington)	Democratic-Republican	March 4, 1803 – March 3, 1805	8th	Elected in 1803. Lost re-election.	1803–1813 "North Carolina congressional district map (1803–13)".[15]
Thomas Blount (Tarboro)	Democratic-Republican	March 4, 1805 – March 3, 1809	9th 10th	Elected in 1804. Re-elected in 1806. Lost re-election.
William Kennedy (Washington)	Democratic-Republican	March 4, 1809 – March 3, 1811	11th	Elected in 1808. Retired.
Thomas Blount (Tarboro)	Democratic-Republican	March 4, 1811 – February 7, 1812	12th	Elected in 1810. Died.
Vacant		February 7, 1812 – January 30, 1813	12th
William Kennedy (Washington)	Democratic-Republican	January 30, 1813 – March 3, 1815	13th	Elected January 11, 1813, to finish Blount's term and seated January 30, 1813. Re-elected in 1813. Retired.
					1813–1823 "North Carolina congressional district map (1813–43)".[15]
James W. Clark (Tarboro)	Democratic-Republican	March 4, 1815 – March 3, 1817	14th 15th	Elected in 1815. Retired.
Thomas H. Hall (Tarboro)	Democratic-Republican	March 4, 1817 – March 3, 1825	16th 17th 18th	Elected in 1817. Re-elected in 1819. Re-elected in 1821. Re-elected in 1823. Lost re-election.
	Democratic-Republican				1823–1833 "North Carolina congressional district map (1813–43)".[15]
Richard Hines (Tarboro)	Jacksonian	March 4, 1825 – March 3, 1827	19th	Elected in 1825. Lost re-election.
Thomas H. Hall (Tarboro)	Jacksonian	March 4, 1827 – March 3, 1835	20th 21st 22nd 23rd	Elected in 1827. Re-elected in 1829. Re-elected in 1831. Re-elected in 1833. [data missing]
					1833–1843 "North Carolina congressional district map (1813–43)".[15]
Ebenezer Pettigrew (Cool Springs)	Anti-Jacksonian	March 4, 1835 – March 3, 1837	24th	Elected in 1835. [data missing]
Edward Stanly (Washington)	Whig	March 4, 1837 – March 3, 1843	25th 26th 27th	Elected in 1837. Re-elected in 1839. Re-elected in 1841. [data missing]
David S. Reid (Reidsville)	Democratic	March 4, 1843 – March 3, 1847	28th 29th	Elected in 1843. Re-elected in 1845. [data missing]	1843–1853 [data missing]
Daniel M. Barringer (Concord)	Whig	March 4, 1847 – March 3, 1849	30th	Redistricted from the 2nd district and re-elected in 1847. [data missing]
Edmund Deberry (Mount Gilead)	Whig	March 4, 1849 – March 3, 1851	31st	Elected in 1849. [data missing]
Alfred Dockery (Dockery's Store)	Whig	March 4, 1851 – March 3, 1853	32nd	Elected in 1851. [data missing]
William S. Ashe (Wilmington)	Democratic	March 4, 1853 – March 3, 1855	33rd	Redistricted from the 7th district and re-elected in 1853. [data missing]	1853–1861 [data missing]
Warren Winslow (Fayetteville)	Democratic	March 4, 1855 – March 3, 1861	34th 35th 36th	Elected in 1855. Re-elected in 1857. Re-elected in 1859. [data missing]
Vacant		March 3, 1861 – July 13, 1868	37th 38th 39th 40th	Civil War and Reconstruction
Oliver H. Dockery (Mangum)	Republican	July 13, 1868 – March 3, 1871	40th 41st	Elected to finish the short term. Re-elected in 1868. [data missing]	1868–1873 [data missing]
Alfred M. Waddell (Wilmington)	Democratic	March 4, 1871 – March 3, 1879	42nd 43rd 44th 45th	Elected in 1870. Re-elected in 1872. Re-elected in 1874. Re-elected in 1876. [data missing]
					1873–1883 [data missing]
Daniel L. Russell (Wilmington)	Greenback	March 4, 1879 – March 3, 1881	46th	Elected in 1878. [data missing]
John W. Shackelford (Jacksonville)	Democratic	March 4, 1881 – January 18, 1883	47th	Elected in 1880. Died.
Vacant		January 18, 1883 – March 3, 1883
Wharton J. Green (Fayetteville)	Democratic	March 4, 1883 – March 3, 1887	48th 49th	Elected in 1882. Re-elected in 1884. [data missing]	1883–1893 [data missing]
Charles W. McClammy (Scotts Hill)	Democratic	March 4, 1887 – March 3, 1891	50th 51st	Elected in 1886. Re-elected in 1888. [data missing]
Benjamin F. Grady (Wallace)	Democratic	March 4, 1891 – March 3, 1895	52nd 53rd	Elected in 1890. Re-elected in 1892. [data missing]
					1893–1903 [data missing]
John G. Shaw (Fayetteville)	Democratic	March 4, 1895 – March 3, 1897	54th	Elected in 1894. [data missing]
John E. Fowler (Clinton)	Populist	March 4, 1897 – March 3, 1899	55th	Elected in 1896. [data missing]
Charles R. Thomas (New Bern)	Democratic	March 4, 1899 – March 3, 1911	56th 57th 58th 59th 60th 61st	Elected in 1898. Re-elected in 1900. Re-elected in 1902. Re-elected in 1904. Re-elected in 1906. Re-elected in 1908. [data missing]
					1903–1913 [data missing]
John M. Faison (Faison)	Democratic	March 4, 1911 – March 3, 1915	62nd 63rd	Elected in 1910. Re-elected in 1912. [data missing]
					1913–1933 [data missing]
George E. Hood (Goldsboro)	Democratic	March 4, 1915 – March 3, 1919	64th 65th	Elected in 1914. Re-elected in 1916. [data missing]
Samuel M. Brinson (New Bern)	Democratic	March 4, 1919 – April 13, 1922	66th 67th	Elected in 1918. Re-elected in 1920. Died.
Vacant		April 13, 1922 – November 7, 1922	67th
Charles L. Abernethy (New Bern)	Democratic	November 7, 1922 – January 3, 1935	67th 68th 69th 70th 71st 72nd 73rd	Elected to finish Brinson's term. Re-elected in 1922. Re-elected in 1924. Re-elected in 1926. Re-elected in 1928. Re-elected in 1930. Re-elected in 1932. Lost renomination.
					1933–1943 [data missing]
Graham A. Barden (New Bern)	Democratic	January 3, 1935 – January 3, 1961	74th 75th 76th 77th 78th 79th 80th 81st 82nd 83rd 84th 85th 86th	Elected in 1934. Re-elected in 1936. Re-elected in 1938. Re-elected in 1940. Re-elected in 1942. Re-elected in 1944. Re-elected in 1946. Re-elected in 1948. Re-elected in 1950. Re-elected in 1952. Re-elected in 1954. Re-elected in 1956. Re-elected in 1958. Retired.
					1943–1953 [data missing]
					1953–1963 [data missing]
David N. Henderson (Wallace)	Democratic	January 3, 1961 – January 3, 1977	87th 88th 89th 90th 91st 92nd 93rd 94th	Elected in 1960. Re-elected in 1962. Re-elected in 1964. Re-elected in 1966. Re-elected in 1968. Re-elected in 1970. Re-elected in 1972. Re-elected in 1974. Retired.
					1963–1973 [data missing]
					1973–1983 [data missing]
Charles O. Whitley (Mount Olive)	Democratic	January 3, 1977 – December 31, 1986	95th 96th 97th 98th 99th	Elected in 1976. Re-elected in 1978. Re-elected in 1980. Re-elected in 1982. Re-elected in 1984. Resigned.
					1983–1993 [data missing]
Vacant		December 31, 1986 – January 3, 1987	99th
Martin Lancaster (Goldsboro)	Democratic	January 3, 1987 – January 3, 1995	100th 101st 102nd 103rd	Elected in 1986. Re-elected in 1988. Re-elected in 1990. Re-elected in 1992. Lost re-election.
					1993–2003 [data missing]
Walter B. Jones Jr. (Farmville)	Republican	January 3, 1995 – February 10, 2019	104th 105th 106th 107th 108th 109th 110th 111th 112th 113th 114th 115th 116th	Elected in 1994. Re-elected in 1996. Re-elected in 1998. Re-elected in 2000. Re-elected in 2002. Re-elected in 2004. Re-elected in 2006. Re-elected in 2008. Re-elected in 2010. Re-elected in 2012. Re-elected in 2014. Re-elected in 2016. Re-elected in 2018. Died.
					2003–2013
					2013–2017
					2017–2021
Vacant		February 10, 2019 – September 10, 2019	116th
Greg Murphy (Greenville)	Republican	September 10, 2019 – present	116th 117th 118th 119th	Elected to finish Jones's term. Re-elected in 2020. Re-elected in 2022. Re-elected in 2024.
					2021–2023 Static map of 2021-3 congressional district
					2023–2025
					2025–present

Past election results

2000

2000 North Carolina's 3rd congressional district election^[16]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Walter B. Jones (incumbent)	121,940	61.4
	Democratic	Leigh McNairy	74,058	37.3
	Libertarian	David Russell	2,457	1.2
Total votes			144,934	100
	Republican hold

2002

2002 North Carolina's 3rd congressional district election^[17]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Walter B. Jones (incumbent)	131,448	90.7
	Libertarian	Gary Goodson	13,486	9.3
Total votes			144,934	100
	Republican hold

2004

2004 North Carolina's 3rd congressional district election^[18]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Walter B. Jones (incumbent)	171,863	70.7
	Democratic	Roger A. Eaton	71,227	29.3
Total votes			243,090	100
	Republican hold

2006

2006 North Carolina's 3rd congressional district election^[19]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Walter B. Jones (incumbent)	99,519	68.64
	Democratic	Craig Weber	45,458	31.36
Total votes			144,977	100
	Republican hold

2008

2008 North Carolina's 3rd congressional district election^[20]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Walter B. Jones (incumbent)	201,686	65.9
	Democratic	Craig Weber	104,364	34.1
Total votes			306,050	100
	Republican hold

2010

2010 North Carolina's 3rd congressional district election^[21]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Walter B. Jones (incumbent)	143,225	71.86
	Democratic	Johnny G. Rouse	51,317	25.75
	Libertarian	Darryl Holloman	4,762	2.39
Total votes			199,304	100
	Republican hold

2012

2012 North Carolina's 3rd congressional district election^[22]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Walter B. Jones (incumbent)	195,571	63.11
	Democratic	Erik Anderson	114,314	36.89
Total votes			309,885	100
	Republican hold

2014

2014 North Carolina's 3rd congressional district election^[23]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Walter B. Jones (incumbent)	139,415	67.81
	Democratic	Marshall Adame	66,182	32.19
Total votes			205,597	100
	Republican hold

2016

North Carolina's 3rd congressional district, 2016^[24]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Walter B. Jones (incumbent)	217,531	67.2
	Democratic	Ernest T. Reeves	106,170	32.8
Total votes			323,701	100
	Republican hold

2018

North Carolina's 3rd congressional district, 2018^[25]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Walter B. Jones (incumbent)	186,353	100.0
Total votes			186,353	100.0
	Republican hold

2019 special election

2019 North Carolina's 3rd congressional district special election^[26]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Greg Murphy	70,407	61.74
	Democratic	Allen Thomas	42,738	37.47
	Constitution	Greg Holt	507	0.44
	Libertarian	Tim Harris	394	0.35
Total votes			114,046	100.0
	Republican hold

2020

2020 North Carolina's 3rd congressional district election^[27]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Greg Murphy (incumbent)	229,800	63.4
	Democratic	Daryl Farrow	132,752	36.6
Total votes			362,552	100.0
	Republican hold

2022

2022 North Carolina's 3rd congressional district election^[28]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Greg Murphy (incumbent)	166,520	66.9%
	Democratic	Barbara Gaskins	82,378	33.1%
Total votes			247,898	100.0%
	Republican hold

2024

2024 North Carolina's 3rd congressional district election^[29]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Greg Murphy (incumbent)	248,276	77.4
	Libertarian	Gheorghe Cormos	72,565	22.6
Total votes			320,841	100.0
	Republican hold

See also

• United States portal
• North Carolina portal

• List of United States congressional districts
• North Carolina's congressional districts