{"biography":"Phillip Ray Pickett\u202fJr. is the incumbent Republican member of the North Carolina House of Representatives for District\u202f93, which covers Ashe and Watauga counties. He has held the seat since the start of the 2021 legislative session after defeating Democratic incumbent Carl\u202fRay\u202fRussell in the 2020 general election [13]. The 2026 election on November\u202f3 will determine whether he retains this position.\n\nPickett\u2019s public biographical details are limited in the available sources; no specific information about his education or early career is provided in the cited references. His official legislative profile lists his party affiliation as Republican and notes his residence in the district he represents.\n\nSince taking office, Representative Pickett has served on several key committees. In the 2021\u20112022 session he was a member of the Appropriations Committee and its Capital subcommittee, served as Vice Chair of the Education: Universities Committee, and held Vice Chairmanship of the Transportation Committee. He also sat on the Families, Children, and Aging Committee and the Appropriations Committee more broadly [13]. These assignments indicate his involvement in budgeting, higher\u2011education policy, transportation infrastructure, and social\u2011service issues.\n\nPickett\u2019s electoral history shows he won his first term with 24,680 votes (53.01\u202f%) against Russell\u2019s 21,875 votes (46.99\u202f%) in a total of 46,555 ballots cast, representing a Republican gain of the seat [13]. While specific policy positions for the upcoming 2026 race are not detailed in the sources, his committee work suggests a focus on fiscal responsibility, university funding, and transportation improvements.\n\nOutside of the legislature, Pickett is referenced on a Change.org petition page that describes him as a public figure committed to public service and community\u2011focused legislation, emphasizing economic development, education, and inclusive governance. However, these characterizations are general and not tied to specific legislative actions in the cited material [18].\n\n## Sources\n- [13] [Ray Pickett - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ray_Pickett)\n- [15] [Candidate Profiles \u2013 NC Voter Guide](https://ncvoterguide.org/profiles/)\n- [16] [NC Voter Guide \u2013 Your source for information on voting, elections and candidates in North Carolina](https://ncvoterguide.org/)\n- [18] [Phillip Pickett - Petitions - North Carolina House of Representatives - District 93 \u00b7 Change.org](https://www.change.org/decision-makers/phillip-pickett-north-carolina-house-of-representatives-district-93)","campaigns":[{"contest":"state_house_093","county":"alleghany","county_count":3,"electiondate":"Tue, 03 Nov 2026 00:00:00 GMT","pgr":"general","state":"NC","title":"Nc House Of Representatives District 093"}],"cf_filings":[],"firstname":"Phillip","fullname":"Phillip Ray Pickett JR","lastname":"Pickett","middlename":"Ray","office_history":[{"campaigns":[{"contest":"state_house_093","contest_title":"Nc House Of Representatives District 093","county":"alleghany","county_count":3,"electiondate":"2026-11-03","office_county":null,"office_key":"state_house","office_title":"State Representative","party":"REP","pgr":"general","state":"NC"}],"county":null,"cycles":[{"general":{"contest":"state_house_093","contest_title":"Nc House Of Representatives District 093","county":"alleghany","county_count":3,"electiondate":"2026-11-03","office_county":null,"office_key":"state_house","office_title":"State Representative","party":"REP","pgr":"general","state":"NC"},"party":"REP","primary":null,"term":null,"year":2026}],"office_key":"state_house","office_title":"State Representative","state":"NC","terms":[]}],"suffix":"JR","summary":"Phillip Ray Pickett\u202fJr. is the Republican NC House member for District\u202f93, serving since 2021 and seeking re\u2011election in 2026.","terms":[],"token":"6fe65c727d22a3fa"}