{"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/)","campaigns":[{"contest":"state_house_016","county":"bladen","county_count":8,"electiondate":"Tue, 03 Nov 2026 00:00:00 GMT","pgr":"general","state":"NC","title":"Nc House Of Representatives District 016"},{"contest":"state_house_016","county":null,"county_count":0,"electiondate":"Tue, 03 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT","pgr":"general","state":"NC","title":"Nc House Of Representatives District 016"}],"cf_filings":[],"firstname":"Carson","fullname":"Carson Henry Smith JR","lastname":"Smith","middlename":"Henry","office_history":[{"campaigns":[{"contest":"state_house_016","contest_title":"Nc House Of Representatives District 016","county":"bladen","county_count":8,"electiondate":"2026-11-03","office_county":null,"office_key":"state_house","office_title":"State Representative","party":"REP","pgr":"general","state":"NC"},{"contest":"state_house_016","contest_title":"Nc House Of Representatives District 016","county":null,"county_count":0,"electiondate":"2026-03-03","office_county":null,"office_key":"state_house","office_title":"State Representative","party":"REP","pgr":"general","state":"NC"}],"county":null,"cycles":[{"general":{"contest":"state_house_016","contest_title":"Nc House Of Representatives District 016","county":null,"county_count":0,"electiondate":"2026-03-03","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":"Carson Henry\u202fSmith\u202fJr. is the Republican incumbent representing NC House District\u202f16 and is running for re\u2011election in 2026.","terms":[],"token":"ec1e2862b9887d3e"}