Gloristine Williams Brown

Gloristine Brown is the incumbent Democratic member of the North Carolina House of Representatives for District 8 and the House Democratic Whip for the 2025‑2026 biennium. She is seeking re‑election to the same seat in the November 3, 2026 general election.¹⁴

Born and raised in Eastern North Carolina, Brown grew up working tobacco fields before training as a nurse at Pitt Memorial Hospital. She earned a B.S. in computer information systems and a Master of Public Administration from Strayer University in 2013.¹⁷ Her professional background includes nursing and positions in the insurance industry, giving her experience in both health care delivery and business operations.¹

Brown entered public service on the Bethel Town Board in 1999 and was elected mayor of Bethel in 2014, becoming the town’s first Black mayor. As mayor she led community‑wide revitalization projects, opened a state‑of‑the‑art youth center, renovated the senior center, and reduced water and sewer rates by 23% for residents.¹⁶²⁰ She also serves as vice‑chairwoman of the Pitt Community College Board of Trustees and sits on the North Carolina Association of Community College Trustees executive board.¹

In 2022 Brown won her first term in the North Carolina House, defeating Republican Charles "Drock" Vincent with 13,116 votes (53.6%). She was re‑elected in 2024, beating Republican Angelene Mitchell with 22,722 votes (64.0%).⁷¹ During her first two legislative sessions she served on the Appropriations Committee, the Appropriations – Agriculture and Natural and Economic Resources Committee, the Education – Community Colleges Committee, the Education – Universities Committee, and the Local Government – Land Use, Planning and Development Committee.¹

Her legislative priorities reflect her professional and local‑government experience. Brown has sponsored bills aimed at fully funding public schools, expanding affordable health‑care—including Medicaid expansion for the state’s uninsured—, and creating good‑paying jobs in Eastern North Carolina. She emphasizes mental‑health and substance‑abuse services, environmental protection, and bipartisan cooperation on infrastructure and education funding.²⁰¹⁸

In February 2025 her colleagues elected her House Democratic Whip, a leadership role that positions her to shape the Democratic caucus’s agenda and coordinate floor strategy.¹⁸ The whip appointment coincided with additional committee assignments on Appropriations, Education K‑12, Higher Education, and Housing and Development, expanding her influence over budgetary and policy decisions.¹⁸

Brown resides in Bethel, North Carolina, and maintains a campaign website at https://www.gloristinebrown.com/ She continues to engage constituents through town‑hall meetings, local board service, and outreach on issues ranging from Medicaid expansion to climate‑change mitigation.¹⁰²⁰

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