North Carolina's 3rd Senate district

North Carolina's 3rd Senate district is one of 50 districts in the North Carolina Senate. It has been represented by Republican Bob Brinson since 2025.^[1]

North Carolina's 3rd State Senate district
Senator	Bob Brinson R–New Bern
Demographics	49% White 41% Black 4% Hispanic 1% Asian 1% Native American 4% Multiracial
Population (2023)	198,097

Geography

Since 2023, the district has included all of Lenoir, Craven, and Beaufort counties. The district overlaps with the 3rd, 12th, 13th, and 79th house districts.^{[citation needed]}

District officeholders since 1973

Senator	Party	Dates	Notes	Counties
William Mills (Maysville)	Democratic	January 1, 1973 – January 1, 1977	Redistricted from the 6th district.	1973–1983 All of Onslow County.[2]
Jerry Popkin (Jacksonville)	Democratic	January 1, 1977 – January 1, 1979
William Mills (Maysville)	Democratic	January 1, 1979 – January 1, 1983
Joseph Thomas (Vanceboro)	Democratic	January 1, 1983 – January 1, 1987	Redistricted from the 2nd district.	1983–1993 All of Carteret, Craven, and Pamlico counties.[3]
Bill Barker (Oriental)	Democratic	January 1, 1987 – January 1, 1991	Retired.
Bev Perdue (New Bern)	Democratic	January 1, 1991 – January 1, 2001	Retired to run for Lieutenant Governor.
				1993–2003 All of Craven and Pamlico counties. Part of Carteret County.[4]
Scott Thomas (New Bern)	Democratic	January 1, 2001 – January 1, 2003	Redistricted to the 2nd district.
Clark Jenkins (Tarboro)	Democratic	January 1, 2003 – January 1, 2015	Lost re-nomination.	2003–2005 All of Edgecombe, Martin, Bertie, Washington, and Tyrrell counties. Part of Pitt County.[5]
				2005–2013 All of Edgecombe and Martin counties. Part of Pitt County.[6]
				2013–2019 All of Northampton, Hertford, Bertie, Chowan, Edgecombe, Martin, and Tyrrell counties.[7]
Erica Smith (Gaston)	Democratic	January 1, 2015 – January 1, 2021	Retired to run for U.S Senator.
				2019–2023 All of Vance, Warren, Northampton, Bertie, Martin, and Beaufort counties.[8]
Ernestine Bazemore (Aulander)	Democratic	January 1, 2021 – January 1, 2023	Lost re-nomination.
Bobby Hanig (Powells Point)	Republican	January 1, 2023 – January 1, 2025	Redistricted from the 1st district. Redistricted to the 1st district.	2023–2025 All of Warren, Northampton, Halifax, Martin, Bertie, Hertford, Gates, Camden, Currituck, and Tyrrell counties.[9]
Bob Brinson (New Bern)	Republican	January 1, 2025 – Present	Redistricted from the 2nd district.	2025–Present All of Lenoir, Craven, and Beaufort counties.[10]

Election results

2024

North Carolina Senate 3rd district Republican primary election, 2024^[11]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Bob Brinson	13,211	54.41%
	Republican	Michael Speciale	11,069	45.59%
Total votes			24,280	100%

North Carolina Senate 3rd district general election, 2024^[12]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Bob Brinson (incumbent)	64,025	59.99%
	Democratic	Charles Dudley	42,704	40.01%
Total votes			106,729	100%
	Republican hold

2022

North Carolina Senate 3rd district Democratic primary election, 2022^[13]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Valerie Jordan	13,644	59.65%
	Democratic	Ernestine Bazemore (incumbent)	9,229	40.35%
Total votes			22,873	100%

North Carolina Senate 3rd district general election, 2022^[14]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Bobby Hanig (incumbent)	37,984	52.53%
	Democratic	Valerie Jordan	34,320	47.47%
Total votes			72,304	100%
	Republican hold

2020

North Carolina Senate 3rd district general election, 2020^[15]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Ernestine Bazemore	45,507	52.03%
	Republican	Thomas S. Hester Jr.	41,959	47.97%
Total votes			87,466	100%
	Democratic hold

2018

North Carolina Senate 3rd district general election, 2018^[16]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Erica Smith (incumbent)	33,942	53.86%
	Republican	C. "Chuck" Earley Jr.	29,082	46.14%
Total votes			63,024	100%
	Democratic hold

2016

North Carolina Senate 3rd district general election, 2016^[17]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Erica Smith (incumbent)	57,507	100%
Total votes			57,507	100%
	Democratic hold

2014

North Carolina Senate 3rd district Democratic primary election, 2014^[18]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Erica Smith	10,557	48.34%
	Democratic	Clark Jenkins (incumbent)	8,730	39.97%
	Democratic	Alan Mizelle	2,552	11.69%
Total votes			21,839	100%

North Carolina Senate 3rd district general election, 2014^[19]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Erica Smith	39,635	100%
Total votes			39,635	100%
	Democratic hold

2012

North Carolina Senate 3rd district Democratic primary election, 2012^[20]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Clark Jenkins (incumbent)	19,694	67.46%
	Democratic	Florence Arnold Armstrong	9,500	32.54%
Total votes			29,194	100%

North Carolina Senate 3rd district general election, 2012^[21]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Clark Jenkins (incumbent)	65,851	100%
Total votes			65,851`	100%
	Democratic hold

2010

North Carolina Senate 3rd district Democratic primary election, 2010^[22]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Clark Jenkins (incumbent)	9,313	49.73%
	Democratic	Frankie L. Bordeaux	7,119	38.01%
	Democratic	Florence Arnold Armstrong	2,295	12.26%
Total votes			18,727	100%

North Carolina Senate 3rd district Republican primary election, 2010^[23]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	C. B. Daughtridge	1,707	76.31%
	Republican	Henry Williams	530	23.69%
Total votes			2,237	100%

North Carolina Senate 3rd district general election, 2010^[24]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Clark Jenkins (incumbent)	27,586	62.72%
	Republican	C. B. Daughtridge	16,399	37.28%
Total votes			43,985	100%
	Democratic hold

2008

North Carolina Senate 3rd district Democratic primary election, 2008^[25]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Clark Jenkins (incumbent)	16,187	50.52%
	Democratic	Shelly Willingham	13,200	41.20%
	Democratic	Henry Williams II	2,652	8.28%
Total votes			32,039	100%

North Carolina Senate 3rd district general election, 2008^[26]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Clark Jenkins (incumbent)	57,703	100%
Total votes			57,703	100%
	Democratic hold

2006

North Carolina Senate 3rd district Democratic primary election, 2006^[27]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Clark Jenkins (incumbent)	7,969	64.28%
	Democratic	Shelly Willingham	4,429	35.72%
Total votes			12,398	100%

North Carolina Senate 3rd district general election, 2006^[28]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Clark Jenkins (incumbent)	19,633	100%
Total votes			19,633	100%
	Democratic hold

2004

North Carolina Senate 3rd district Democratic primary election, 2004^[29]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Clark Jenkins (incumbent)	5,044	33.13%
	Democratic	Shelly Willingham	4,991	32.79%
	Democratic	Charles Elliott Johnson	4,011	26.35%
	Democratic	Jim Rouse	1,177	7.73%
Total votes			15,223	100%

North Carolina Senate 3rd district Democratic primary run-off election, 2004^[30]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Clark Jenkins (incumbent)	6,070	54.47%
	Democratic	Shelly Willingham	5,074	45.53%
Total votes			11,144	100%

North Carolina Senate 3rd district general election, 2004^[31]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Clark Jenkins (incumbent)	36,343	66.04%
	Republican	Beverly Moore	18,686	33.96%
Total votes			55,029	100%
	Democratic hold

2002

North Carolina Senate 3rd district Democratic primary election, 2002^[32]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Clark Jenkins	10,687	45.30%
	Democratic	Patricia Ferguson	9,757	41.36%
	Democratic	Ann M. Slocumb	1,626	6.89%
	Democratic	Henry Williams II	1,523	6.46%
Total votes			23,593	100%

North Carolina Senate 3rd district general election, 2002^[33]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Clark Jenkins	26,444	66.69%
	Republican	Don Carson	12,743	32.14%
	Libertarian	Henry Boschen	464	1.17%
Total votes			39,651	100%
	Democratic hold

2000

North Carolina Senate 3rd district general election, 2000^[34]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Scott Thomas	29,313	54.13%
	Republican	David G. Hipps	24,836	45.87%
Total votes			54,149	100%
	Democratic hold