North Carolina's 3rd congressional district is located on the Atlantic coast of North Carolina. It covers the Outer Banks and the counties adjacent to the Pamlico Sound.

North Carolina's 3rd congressional district
From 2021 to 2023 From 2023 to 2025 Interactive map of district boundaries. Points indicate the major cities of Elizabeth City (Only in 2021-3 Map), Jacksonville, Goldsboro (Only in 2023-5 Map), Kill Devil Hills, Kinston, New Bern, Morehead City, and Washington
Representative	Greg Murphy R–Greenville
Distribution	53.13% urban 46.87% rural
Population (2020)	745,670[1]
Median household income	$53,545[2]
Ethnicity	64.4% White 20.0% Black 11.2% Hispanic 2.7% Native American 2.5% Asian 0.3% Pacific Islander Americans 0.1% other
Cook PVI	R+15[3]
Created	1789

The district is currently represented by Greg Murphy following a special election after the seat was left vacant following the passing of Walter B. Jones Jr. in February 2019.[4] Jones had been the district's representative from 1995 until his death. In 2008, he defeated Democrat Craig Weber for reelection, and was challenged in 2010 by former chair of the Pitt County Democratic Party Johnny Rouse, whom he defeated by a vote of 72% to 26% (141,978 votes to 50,600). In 2012, he was challenged by Frank Palombo, the former New Bern Police Chief, for the Republican Party nomination.[5] The winner of the Republican primary then faced Marine Corps Veteran Erik Anderson in the general election.[6]

A special election to fill the vacancy caused by Jones's death was held on September 10, 2019. State representative Greg Murphy won the election.[7]

On February 23, 2022, the North Carolina Supreme Court approved a new map which changed the 3rd district boundaries to include Duplin and Sampson Counties and part of Wayne County while removing Chowan, Greene, Pasquotank, Perquimans and Tyrrell Counties[8]

Counties

Counties in the 2023-2025 district map.

• Beaufort County
• Camden County
• Carteret County
• Craven County
• Currituck County
• Dare County
• Duplin County
• Hyde County
• Jones County
• Lenoir County
• Onslow County
• Pamlico County
• Pitt County (part)
• Sampson County
• Wayne County (part)

List of members representing the district

Member	Party	Years	Cong ress	Electoral history	District location
Timothy Bloodworth	Anti-Administration	April 6, 1790 – March 3, 1791	1st	Elected in 1790. Redistricted to the 5th district and lost re-election.	1790–1971 "Cape Fear division"
John B. Ashe	Anti-Administration	March 4, 1791 – March 3, 1793	2nd	Redistricted from the 1st district and re-elected in 1791. Redistricted to the 9th district.	1791–1973 [data unknown/missing]
Joseph Winston	Anti-Administration	March 4, 1793 – March 3, 1795	3rd	Elected in 1793. Lost re-election.	1793–1803 [data unknown/missing]
Jesse Franklin	Democratic-Republican	March 4, 1795 – March 3, 1797	4th	Elected in 1795. Lost re-election.
Robert Williams	Democratic-Republican	March 4, 1797 – March 3, 1803	5th 6th 7th	Elected in 1796. Re-elected in 1798. Re-elected in 1800. Redistricted to the 7th district and retired to run for Governor of North Carolina.
William Kennedy	Democratic-Republican	March 4, 1803 – March 3, 1805	8th	Elected in 1803. Lost re-election.	1803–1813 "North Carolina Congressional District Map (1803-13)".[9]
Thomas Blount	Democratic-Republican	March 4, 1805 – March 3, 1809	9th 10th	Elected in 1804. Re-elected in 1806. Lost re-election.
William Kennedy	Democratic-Republican	March 4, 1809 – March 3, 1811	11th	Elected in 1808. Retired.
Thomas Blount	Democratic-Republican	March 4, 1811 – February 7, 1812	12th	Elected in 1810. Died.
Vacant		February 7, 1812 – January 30, 1813	12th
William Kennedy	Democratic-Republican	January 30, 1813 – March 3, 1815	13th 14th	Elected January 11, 1813, to finish Blount's term and seated January 30, 1813. Re-elected in 1813. Retired.
					1813–1823 "North Carolina Congressional District Map (1813-43)".[9]
James W. Clark	Democratic-Republican	March 4, 1815 – March 3, 1817	15th	Elected in 1815. Retired.
Thomas H. Hall	Democratic-Republican	March 4, 1817 – March 3, 1825	16th 17th 18th	Elected in 1817. Re-elected in 1819. Re-elected in 1821. Re-elected in 1823. Lost re-election.
	Democratic-Republican				1823–1833 "North Carolina Congressional District Map (1813-43)".[9]
Richard Hines	Jacksonian	March 4, 1825 – March 3, 1827	19th	Elected in 1825. Lost re-election.
Thomas H. Hall	Jacksonian	March 4, 1827 – March 3, 1835	20th 21st 22nd 23rd	Elected in 1827. Re-elected in 1829. Re-elected in 1831. Re-elected in 1833. [data unknown/missing]
					1833–1843 "North Carolina Congressional District Map (1813-43)".[9]
Ebenezer Pettigrew	Anti-Jacksonian	March 4, 1835 – March 3, 1837	24th	Elected in 1835. [data unknown/missing]
Edward Stanly	Whig	March 4, 1837 – March 3, 1843	25th 26th 27th	Elected in 1837. Re-elected in 1839. Re-elected in 1841. [data unknown/missing]
David S. Reid	Democratic	March 4, 1843 – March 3, 1847	28th 29th	Elected in 1843. Re-elected in 1845. [data unknown/missing]	1843–1853 [data unknown/missing]
Daniel M. Barringer	Whig	March 4, 1847 – March 3, 1849	30th	Redistricted from the 2nd district and re-elected in 1847. [data unknown/missing]
Edmund Deberry	Whig	March 4, 1849 – March 3, 1851	31st	Elected in 1849. [data unknown/missing]
Alfred Dockery	Whig	March 4, 1851 – March 3, 1853	32nd	Elected in 1851. [data unknown/missing]
William S. Ashe	Democratic	March 4, 1853 – March 3, 1855	33rd	Redistricted from the 7th district and re-elected in 1853. [data unknown/missing]	1853–1863 [data unknown/missing]
Warren Winslow	Democratic	March 4, 1855 – March 3, 1861	34th 35th 36th	Elected in 1855. Re-elected in 1857. Re-elected in 1859. [data unknown/missing]
Vacant		March 3, 1861 – July 13, 1868	37th 38th 39th 40th	Civil War and Reconstruction
					1863–1873 [data unknown/missing]
Oliver H. Dockery	Republican	July 13, 1868 – March 3, 1871	40th 41st	Elected to finish the short term. Re-elected in 1868. [data unknown/missing]
Alfred M. Waddell	Democratic	March 4, 1871 – March 3, 1879	42nd 43rd 44th 45th	Elected in 1870. Re-elected in 1872. Re-elected in 1874. Re-elected in 1876. [data unknown/missing]
					1873–1883 [data unknown/missing]
Daniel L. Russell	Greenback	March 4, 1879 – March 3, 1881	46th	Elected in 1878. [data unknown/missing]
John W. Shackelford	Democratic	March 4, 1881 – January 18, 1883	47th	Elected in 1880. Died.
Vacant		January 18, 1883 – March 3, 1883
Wharton J. Green	Democratic	March 4, 1883 – March 3, 1887	48th 49th	Elected in 1882. Re-elected in 1884. [data unknown/missing]	1883–1893 [data unknown/missing]
Charles W. McClammy	Democratic	March 4, 1887 – March 3, 1891	50th 51st	Elected in 1886. Re-elected in 1888. [data unknown/missing]
Benjamin F. Grady	Democratic	March 4, 1891 – March 3, 1895	52nd 53rd	Elected in 1890. Re-elected in 1892. [data unknown/missing]
					1893–1903 [data unknown/missing]
John G. Shaw	Democratic	March 4, 1895 – March 3, 1897	54th	Elected in 1894. [data unknown/missing]
John E. Fowler	Populist	March 4, 1897 – March 3, 1899	55th	Elected in 1896. [data unknown/missing]
Charles R. Thomas	Democratic	March 4, 1899 – March 3, 1911	56th 57th 58th 59th 60th 61st	Elected in 1898. Re-elected in 1900. Re-elected in 1902. Re-elected in 1904. Re-elected in 1906. Re-elected in 1908. [data unknown/missing]
					1903–1913 [data unknown/missing]
John M. Faison	Democratic	March 4, 1911 – March 3, 1915	62nd 63rd	Elected in 1910. Re-elected in 1912. [data unknown/missing]
					1913–1933 [data unknown/missing]
George E. Hood	Democratic	March 4, 1915 – March 3, 1919	64th 65th	Elected in 1914. Re-elected in 1916. [data unknown/missing]
Samuel M. Brinson	Democratic	March 4, 1919 – April 13, 1922	66th 67th	Elected in 1918. Re-elected in 1920. Died.
Vacant		April 13, 1922 – November 7, 1922	67th
Charles L. Abernethy	Democratic	November 7, 1922 – January 3, 1935	67th 68th 69th 70th 71st 72nd 73rd	Elected to finish Brinson's term. Re-elected in 1922. Re-elected in 1924. Re-elected in 1926. Re-elected in 1928. Re-elected in 1930. Re-elected in 1932. [data unknown/missing]
					1933–1943 [data unknown/missing]
Graham A. Barden	Democratic	January 3, 1935 – January 3, 1961	74th 75th 76th 77th 78th 79th 80th 81st 82nd 83rd 84th 85th 86th	Elected in 1934. Re-elected in 1936. Re-elected in 1938. Re-elected in 1940. Re-elected in 1942. Re-elected in 1944. Re-elected in 1946. Re-elected in 1948. Re-elected in 1950. Re-elected in 1952. Re-elected in 1954. Re-elected in 1956. Re-elected in 1958. [data unknown/missing]
					1943–1953 [data unknown/missing]
					1953–1963 [data unknown/missing]
David N. Henderson	Democratic	January 3, 1961 – January 3, 1977	87th 88th 89th 90th 91st 92nd 93rd 94th	Elected in 1960. Re-elected in 1962. Re-elected in 1964. Re-elected in 1966. Re-elected in 1968. Re-elected in 1970. Re-elected in 1972. Re-elected in 1974. [data unknown/missing]
					1963–1973 [data unknown/missing]
					1973–1983 [data unknown/missing]
Charles O. Whitley	Democratic	January 3, 1977 – December 31, 1986	95th 96th 97th 98th 99th	Elected in 1976. Re-elected in 1978. Re-elected in 1980. Re-elected in 1982. Re-elected in 1984. Resigned.
					1983–1993 [data unknown/missing]
Vacant		December 31, 1986 – January 3, 1987	99th
Martin Lancaster	Democratic	January 3, 1987 – January 3, 1995	100th 101st 102nd 103rd	Elected in 1986. Re-elected in 1988. Re-elected in 1990. Re-elected in 1992. Lost re-election.
					1993–2003 [data unknown/missing]
Walter B. Jones Jr.	Republican	January 3, 1995 – February 10, 2019	104th 105th 106th 107th 108th 109th 110th 111th 112th 113th 114th 115th 116th	Elected in 1994. Re-elected in 1996. Re-elected in 1998. Re-elected in 2000. Re-elected in 2002. Re-elected in 2004. Re-elected in 2006. Re-elected in 2008. Re-elected in 2010. Re-elected in 2012. Re-elected in 2014. Re-elected in 2016. Re-elected in 2018. Died.
					2003–2013
					2013–2017
					2017–2021 2021–2023
Vacant		February 10, 2019 – September 10, 2019	116th
Greg Murphy	Republican	September 10, 2019 – present	116th 117th	Elected to finish Jones's term. Re-elected in 2020.

Election results

2000

2002

2004

2006

2008

2010

2012

2014

2016

2018

2019 (Special Election)

2020

See also

• North Carolina's congressional districts
• List of United States congressional districts

References

• Martis, Kenneth C. (1989). The Historical Atlas of Political Parties in the United States Congress. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company.
• Martis, Kenneth C. (1982). The Historical Atlas of United States Congressional Districts. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company.
• Congressional Biographical Directory of the United States 1774–present
• Rouse for Congress, North Carolina election results - Politics - Decision 2010 - msnbc.com