{"biography":"Raymond Edward Smith\u202fJr. is the Democratic nominee for the U.S. House of Representatives in North Carolina\u2019s 3rd Congressional District in the November\u202f3,\u202f2026 election. After winning the Democratic primary with 56.6% of the vote (23,438 votes) against Allison\u202fJaslow, he will face incumbent Republican Rep. Greg\u202fMurphy and Libertarian Daniel\u202fCavender in the general election [1][12][14].\n\nBorn in Goldsboro, North Carolina, Smith earned a high\u2011school diploma from Goldsboro High School and went on to obtain a bachelor\u2019s degree in supply\u2011chain management from North Carolina A&T State University (1992), a master\u2019s in public administration from North Carolina Central University (1998), and a doctorate in education leadership from Fayetteville State University (2020) [1][4][11]. He served in the United States Army during the Persian Gulf War, later working as a military policeman and earning the status of a decorated veteran [1][4][11].\n\nSmith\u2019s professional career spans transportation and education. He has held positions as executive director of the Goldsboro/Wayne Transportation Authority, a statewide planner for the North Carolina Department of Transportation, and director of Wayne Interagency Transportation Inc. He also worked as a consultant, transportation professional, and teacher, and served on the Wayne County Board of Education, becoming the first African\u2011American at\u2011large member and later vice\u2011chairman of that board [1][11][10].\n\nIn 2018, Smith was elected to the North Carolina House of Representatives from District\u202f21, representing parts of Wayne and Sampson counties. He served two terms (January\u202f1,\u202f2019\u202f\u2013\u202fJanuary\u202f1,\u202f2023) and held the role of Minority Whip. During the 2019\u20112020 session he served on the Appropriations, Military and Veterans Affairs, Transportation, and Health\u2011and\u2011Human\u2011Services committees; in the 2021\u20112022 session he sat on Education\u2011Community Colleges, Local Government, Federal Relations and American Indian Affairs, Finance, and Homeland Security, Military and Veterans Affairs committees [1][4][10].\n\nAfter an unsuccessful bid for the North Carolina State Senate (District\u202f4) in 2022, where he received 45.5% of the primary vote against incumbent Toby\u202fFitch, Smith turned his attention to Congress. His congressional campaign emphasizes expanding rural health\u2011care access, increasing funding for public education, improving infrastructure (including broadband and transportation), and protecting working families through affordable health care and cost\u2011of\u2011living relief. He positions himself as a bipartisan voice, drawing on his legislative record and veteran background to appeal to a diverse electorate in the newly redrawn, more competitive 3rd district [6][14][20].\n\nSmith has secured endorsements from the Democratic National Committee, the Congressional Black Caucus PAC, and numerous local organizations. His campaign finance committee, \u201cRAYMOND SMITH FOR NORTH CAROLINA,\u201d reports total receipts of $115,666.76 and expenditures of $68,460.87 as of the latest FEC filing [2].\n\n## Sources\n- [1] [Raymond Smith Jr. - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Raymond_Smith_Jr.)\n- [2] [RAYMOND SMITH FOR NORTH CAROLINA - committee overview - FEC.gov](https://www.fec.gov/data/committee/C00930784/)\n- [4] [Raymond Smith Jr. - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raymond_Smith_Jr.)\n- [5] [2026 United States House of Representatives elections in North Carolina - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_United_States_House_of_Representatives_elections_in_North_Carolina)\n- [6] [Dr. Raymond E. Smith for Congress](https://raymondsmithfornc.com/)\n- [8] [Raymond E Smith Jr. (@DrRaymondESmithJr)](https://www.facebook.com/DrRaymondESmithJr/)\n- [9] [Meet Raymond Smith: Candidate for U.S. House of Representatives, District 1](https://wcti12.com/elections/national/meet-raymond-smith-candidate-for-us-house-of-representatives-district-1)\n- [10] [State Representative Raymond Smith | BillTrack50](https://www.billtrack50.com/legislatordetail/23977)\n- [11] [Raymond Smith, Jr. platform & website | North Carolina State Senator, District 4](https://www.branch.vote/races/2024-nc-general-election-nc-state-state-senator-nc-state-senate-4/candidates/raymond-smith,-jr)\n- [12] [Dr. Raymond Smith secures District 3 primary victory, will face Greg Murphy in November - ABC11 Raleigh-Durham](https://abc11.com/post/dr-raymond-smith-secures-district-3-primary-victory-will-face-greg-murphy-november/18674271/)\n- [13] [DNC Congratulates Democratic Nominee Raymond Smith on His Victory in NC-03 Democratic Primary - Democrats](https://democrats.org/news/dnc-congratulates-democratic-nominee-raymond-smith-on-his-victory-in-nc-03-democratic-primary/)\n- [14] [Smith, Jaslow vie for U.S. House seat | Local News | kinston.com](https://www.kinston.com/news/local/smith-jaslow-vie-for-house-seat/article_ec8e0b53-0c18-57ca-9769-615c14094e4f.html)\n- [15] [Former State Rep. Raymond Smith - Biography | LegiStorm](https://www.legistorm.com/person/bio/309786/Raymond_Edward_Smith_Jr_.html)\n- [20] [Raymond Smith Gets Congressional Black Caucus Endorsement in NC-3](https://www.theassemblync.com/news/cbc-north-carolina-third-district-smith/)","campaigns":[{"contest":"us_house_003","county":"duplin","county_count":9,"electiondate":"Tue, 03 Nov 2026 00:00:00 GMT","pgr":"general","state":"NC","title":"Us House Of Representatives District 03"},{"contest":"us_house_003","county":null,"county_count":0,"electiondate":"Tue, 03 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT","pgr":"general","state":"NC","title":"Us House Of Representatives District 03"}],"cf_filings":[],"firstname":"Raymond","fullname":"Raymond Edward Smith JR","lastname":"Smith","middlename":"Edward","office_history":[{"campaigns":[{"contest":"us_house_003","contest_title":"Us House Of Representatives District 03","county":"duplin","county_count":9,"electiondate":"2026-11-03","office_county":null,"office_key":"us_house","office_title":"U.S. Representative","party":"DEM","pgr":"general","state":"NC"},{"contest":"us_house_003","contest_title":"Us House Of Representatives District 03","county":null,"county_count":0,"electiondate":"2026-03-03","office_county":null,"office_key":"us_house","office_title":"U.S. Representative","party":"DEM","pgr":"general","state":"NC"}],"county":null,"cycles":[{"general":{"contest":"us_house_003","contest_title":"Us House Of Representatives District 03","county":null,"county_count":0,"electiondate":"2026-03-03","office_county":null,"office_key":"us_house","office_title":"U.S. Representative","party":"DEM","pgr":"general","state":"NC"},"party":"DEM","primary":null,"term":null,"year":2026}],"office_key":"us_house","office_title":"U.S. Representative","state":"NC","terms":[]}],"suffix":"JR","summary":"Raymond Edward Smith\u202fJr. is the Democratic nominee for North Carolina\u2019s 3rd U.S. House district in 2026, a former state representative and Gulf War veteran with a background in transportation, education, and public service.","terms":[],"token":"0c2ecc5464560916"}