Ralph Edward Carter III

Ralph Edward Carter III is the Republican nominee for the North Carolina House of Representatives District 48 in the November 3, 2026 general election. He secured the Republican nomination by winning the March 3, 2026 primary with 59.3% of the vote (2,105 votes) over Kirk Lowery, who received 40.7% (1,443 votes) ¹. Carter previously ran for the same seat in 2024, winning a three-candidate Republican primary with 53.9% of the vote but losing the November general election to Democratic incumbent Garland Pierce, who earned 51.9% to Carter's 48.1% ¹.

Carter was born and raised in Wilmington, North Carolina, where he helped run his father's corner drugstore. He earned a bachelor's degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and attended medical school at Wake Forest University ¹⁶. He is an orthopedic surgeon and an Air Force veteran who served 13 years on active and reserve duty ¹⁶.

In addition to his medical practice, Carter's campaign emphasizes several policy priorities. He advocates for improving water-infrastructure and expanding health-care access in the district, while also pursuing broader affordability measures such as capping and eventually eliminating property taxes, which he argues perpetuate economic disparity between rich and poor counties ¹⁶. Carter opposes what he calls "medical mandates" and supports increasing access to healthy-food options, positions that align with the Make America Healthy Again Institute, a private think-tank that has endorsed his candidacy ¹⁶. He also highlights the need for economic development and job creation in Hoke and Scotland counties, the two counties that comprise District 48.

Carter's campaign finances for the 2024 cycle show total contributions of $19,499 and expenditures of $19,997, with top donors including individuals such as Eugene Ritch ($4,000) and Douglas F. Nederostek ($3,200), as well as the Orthocarolina PA Federal PAC ($2,000) ¹⁸. Expenditures have gone to media firms and local outreach, including The Cierge Group and Erica Goodpaster Media LLC ¹⁸.

As the Republican nominee, Carter will seek to unseat incumbent Democrat Garland Pierce, who has held the District 48 seat for multiple terms.

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