{"campaigns":[{"candidatename":"Carson Smith","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"REP","person":{"biography":"Carson Henry\u202fSmith\u202fJr. is the incumbent Republican member of the North Carolina House of Representatives for District\u202f16, covering all of Pender County and parts of Columbus County. He is on the ballot for re\u2011election in the November\u202f3,\u202f2026 general election after winning the March\u202f3,\u202f2026 Republican primary with 76.5% of the vote [1].\n\nThe North Carolina House requires members to be at least 21 years old, qualified voters, and residents of the district for one year preceding the election; terms are two years with no term limits [2]. Smith meets these qualifications, having served continuously since his first swearing\u2011in on January\u202f1,\u202f2019, with his current term set to end on January\u202f1,\u202f2027 [1].\n\nBorn in 1966 or 1967 in Wilmington, NC, Smith earned a Basic Law Enforcement Training certificate from Cape Fear Community College in 1987 [9]. He spent 16 years as the elected Sheriff of Pender County (2002\u20112018) [6], during which he also served as the county\u2019s Emergency Management Director before his sheriff tenure and again on an interim basis in 2020 during the COVID\u201119 pandemic [6]. After retiring as sheriff, he entered state politics and was first elected to the House in 2018, taking office in 2019 [6].\n\nIn the legislature, Smith has held several leadership roles. He currently serves as Vice Chair of the Appropriations Committee and Chair of the House Appropriations Committee on Justice and Public Safety, as well as Chair of the Pensions and Retirement Committee and the Wildlife Resources Committee [1]. Earlier sessions saw him on the Judiciary\u202fII, Marine Resources and Aqua Culture, and Health committees [1]. His legislative focus includes public safety, veteran affairs, and fiscal responsibility. Notable bills he has sponsored include the \"Back the Blue Pay Act\" (HB\u202f42) to provide additional compensation for law\u2011enforcement officers [5], the \"Gun Violence Prevention Act\" (HB\u202f28) addressing firearm safety [5], and the \"Disaster Recovery Act of\u202f2025\" (HB\u202f47) aimed at improving emergency response funding [5].\n\nSmith\u2019s electoral record shows strong support in his district: he won re\u2011election in 2024 with 70.8% of the vote over Democratic challenger Frances\u202fLakey [1], and previously secured 64.3% in 2020 [6]. His committee chairmanships and sponsorship of public\u2011safety\u2011related legislation reflect his background in law enforcement and emergency management. As a member of the North Carolina House Republican Caucus, he aligns with the party\u2019s priorities on budgetary discipline and support for first responders [16].\n\nSmith\u2019s official Capitol office is located at 300\u202fN. Salisbury Street, Room\u202f410, Raleigh, NC\u202f27603\u20115925 [4]. While a campaign website is not directly provided in the sources, his legislative profile and public statements are available through the North Carolina General Assembly and Ballotpedia pages.\n\n## Sources\n- [1] [Carson Smith Jr. - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Carson_Smith_Jr.)\n- [2] [North Carolina House of Representatives District 16 - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/North_Carolina_House_of_Representatives_District_16)\n- [4] [Representative Carson Smith - Biography - North Carolina General Assembly](https://www.ncleg.gov/Members/Biography/H/755)\n- [5] [Representative Carson Smith's Introduced Bills - North Carolina General Assembly](https://www.ncleg.gov/Members/IntroducedBills/H/755)\n- [6] [Carson Smith (politician) - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carson_Smith_(politician))\n- [9] [Meet Civic Sage - Vote Smart - Facts For All](https://justfacts.votesmart.org/candidate/biography/183362/carson-smith-jr)\n- [16] [Carson Smith - North Carolina House Republican Caucus](https://www.nchouserepublicans.com/members/carson-smith/)","firstname":"Carson","lastname":"Smith","middlename":"Henry","suffix":"JR","token":"ec1e2862b9887d3e"},"token":"a22SebEmbj"},{"candidatename":"Jim Harris","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"DEM","person":{"biography":"James \"Jim\" Harris is the Democratic nominee for the North Carolina House of Representatives in District\u202f16. He will appear on the November\u202f3,\u202f2026 general\u2011election ballot seeking to succeed incumbent Republican Carson\u202fSmith\u202fJr.\u202fThe state\u2019s Democratic primary scheduled for March\u202f3,\u202f2026 was canceled, so Harris advanced without a primary contest [12].\n\nHarris is identified on Ballotpedia as a resident of the district; the page lists his name as Jim Harris, which is a common diminutive of James, and the middle name Mark appears in the query, suggesting his full legal name is James\u202fMark\u202fHarris. The source does not provide details about his education, professional background, or prior public service.\n\nBecause the Ballotpedia entry contains no record of previous elected office, Harris appears to be a first\u2011time candidate for state legislature. No specific career history or policy platform is documented in the available source.\n\nDuring the campaign, Harris has made a contact email publicly available: harrisfornc16@gmail.com. No campaign website or phone number is listed, and the Ballotpedia page notes that he has not yet completed the Candidate Connection survey, so additional biographical or issue\u2011specific information is limited [12].\n\n## Sources\n- [12] [Jim Harris (North Carolina) - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Jim_Harris_(North_Carolina))\n- [17] [Mark Harris (North Carolina) - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Mark_Harris_(North_Carolina))","firstname":"James","lastname":"Harris","middlename":"Mark","suffix":null,"token":"31ccd45f6740fc96"},"token":"FlHxWsmQgw"}],"choices":null,"description":null,"district":null,"districtgroup":null,"districtgroupname":null,"districtname":null,"job_type":"state_representative","o.office":"state_house","office":"state_house","officedescription":"The Tennessee House of Representatives is the lower chamber of the state legislature, with 99 members elected from single-member districts to two-year terms. Representatives pass state laws, originate revenue bills, approve the state budget, and \u2014 with the Senate \u2014 confirm gubernatorial appointments and propose constitutional amendments.","officequalities":"- **Integrity** \u2014 Acts in the interest of constituents and the public good rather than for personal gain, and remains independent of undue influence from donors, lobbyists, and party leadership.\n- **Understanding of the constituency** \u2014 Grasps both the economic-development needs of the district and the day-to-day concerns of individual residents \u2014 safety, healthcare, education, infrastructure.\n- **Persuasion** \u2014 Engages, listens to, and persuades both fellow legislators and constituents. Can change minds and explain votes honestly.\n- **Legislative craft** \u2014 Reads, drafts, and amends statute with care. Understands how specific bill language translates to outcomes, and knows the body of law being modified.\n- **Coalition-building** \u2014 Finds common ground across partisan and factional lines, brokers compromises that hold, and forms working majorities even when consensus is hard to reach.","officeterm":2,"officetitle":"State Representative","partisan":1,"pgr":"general","quantity":1,"referendum":null,"source":null,"title":"Nc House Of Representatives District 016"}