2026 General Election · Tuesday, November 3, 2026

North Carolina House District 53

3 candidates, listed alphabetically.

Candidates

Howard L. Penny, Jr.

RepublicanIncumbent

In office now
State Representative, District 53

Howard L. Penny, Jr. is the sitting State Representative for District 53 in the North Carolina General Assembly, a district that includes all or part of Harnett and Johnston counties; the member page lists 3.5 terms in the House. Official legislature records list the occupation as Retired Agribusiness.

Penny's committees

  • Agriculture and Environment (Chairman)
  • Appropriations
  • Appropriations, Agriculture and Natural and Economic Resources
  • Higher Education
  • House Select Committee on Helene Recovery
  • Housing and Development
  • State and Local Government
  • Agriculture and Forestry Awareness Study Commission (Co-Chair)
  • Municipal Incorporations Subcommittee of the Joint Legislative Committee on Local Government
  • Joint Legislative Committee on Local Government (Co-Chair)
  • Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on General Government

Sources for Penny

Christopher Sessions

Libertarian

Work
Retired Army sergeant major; manager

Christopher Sessions served in the U.S. Army from 1989 to 2017, retiring as a sergeant major, and has worked as a manager; he holds an MBA from Franklin University. Christopher Sessions ran for Senate District 10 in 2024.

Sources for Sessions

Kevin G. Thurman

Democratic

Work
Former employee of RTI International and Blue Cross NC

Kevin G. Thurman previously worked at Research Triangle Institute (RTI) and Blue Cross NC and holds a political science degree from Duke University and an MPA from North Carolina Central University. Kevin G. Thurman ran for House District 53 in 2022 and 2024.

Sources for Thurman

Sources

Candidate list and race details

What's included
U.S. Senate and House, statewide offices, every state legislative district on the ballot and statewide ballot measures.
Everything else
Local races (county, city, school board, judges) and anything else on your ballot are on your official sample ballot: vt.ncsbe.gov.
Candidate lists
As of Wednesday, October 14, 2026.

This is not an official ballot. Confirm your registration, polling place and ballot with your election office through vote.gov.