Raymond Smith Jr.
American politician from North Carolina
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Raymond Edward Smith Jr. (born October 15, 1961) is a former Democratic member of the North Carolina House of Representatives, who represented the 21st district (including portions of Wayne and Sampson counties) from 2019 to 2023.[1][2] He is the Democratic nominee for the U.S. House from North Carolina's 3rd congressional district in the 2026 election. [3]
Raymond Smith | |
|---|---|
| |
| Member of the North Carolina House of Representatives from the 21st district | |
| In office January 1, 2019 – January 1, 2023 | |
| Preceded by | Larry Bell |
| Succeeded by | John Bell (Redistricting) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | October 15, 1961 |
| Party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Cortrina |
| Education | North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University (BA) North Carolina Central University (MPA) Fayetteville State University (EdD) |
| Website | Official website |
Career
Smith served in the United States Army during the Persian Gulf War, and then worked in local and state government, and served on the Wayne County Board of Education before he won the election to the state legislature on November 6, 2018 as the nominee of the Democratic Party. [4] He secured fifty-three percent of the vote while Republican Robert Freeman Sr. secured forty-seven percent.[5] He was re-elected in 2020.
In 2022, Smith challenged incumbent state senator Toby Fitch in the Democratic primary for North Carolina's 4th Senate district. Smith lost the primary, winning 45.5% of the vote to Fitch's 54.5%.[6][7]
Electoral history
2022
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Toby Fitch (incumbent) | 6,994 | 54.48% | |
| Democratic | Raymond Smith Jr. | 5,843 | 45.52% | |
| Total votes | 12,837 | 100% | ||
2020
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Raymond Smith Jr. (incumbent) | 17,632 | 53.00% | |
| Republican | Brent Heath | 15,633 | 47.00% | |
| Total votes | 33,265 | 100% | ||
| Democratic hold | ||||
2018
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Raymond Smith Jr. | 1,511 | 53.17% | |
| Democratic | Eugene Pearsall | 1,331 | 46.83% | |
| Total votes | 2,842 | 100% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Raymond Smith Jr. | 12,041 | 52.65% | |
| Republican | Robert E. Freeman | 10,829 | 47.35% | |
| Total votes | 22,870 | 100% | ||
| Democratic hold | ||||
Committee assignments
2021-2022 session
- Education - Community Colleges
- Local Government
- Federal Relations and American Indian Affairs
- Finance
- Homeland Security, Military, and Veterans Affairs
- LGBTQ+ Rights and Restrictions
2019–2020 session
- House Appropriations on Health and Human Services
- Appropriations
- Homeland Security, Military, and Veterans Affairs
- Transportation
