2026 General Election · Tuesday, November 3, 2026

North Carolina Senate District 11

3 candidates, listed alphabetically.

Candidates

Lisa Stone Barnes

RepublicanIncumbent

In office now
State Senator, District 11
Work
State senator; former real estate paralegal and Nash County commissioner

Lisa Stone Barnes is the sitting State Senator for District 11 in the North Carolina General Assembly, a district that includes all or part of Franklin, Nash and Vance counties; the member page lists 3 terms in the Senate.

Lisa Stone Barnes has worked as a real estate paralegal, in agribusiness and in Rocky Mount's planning department. Lisa Stone Barnes served as a Nash County commissioner and state representative before her election to the Senate in 2020.

Barnes's committees

  • Agriculture, Energy, and Environment (Chairman)
  • Appropriations on Agriculture, Natural, and Economic Resources (Chairman)
  • Appropriations/Base Budget
  • Education/Higher Education
  • Health Care
  • Regulatory Reform
  • Rules and Operations of the Senate
  • Select Committee on Property Tax Reform (Chairman)
  • Agriculture and Forestry Awareness Study Commission (Co-Chair)
  • Joint Legislative Education Oversight Committee
  • Environmental Review Commission
  • Joint Legislative Commission on Governmental Operations
  • Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on Health and Human Services
  • Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on Agriculture and Natural and Economic Resources (Vice Chair)
  • Governmental Operations, Subcommittee on Prisons

Sources for Barnes

Gavin Bell

Libertarian

Work
Assistant director, North Carolina State University

Gavin Bell works as an assistant director at North Carolina State University and as a speaker for ForCollegeForLife, after working as a graduate assistant in NC State University Housing. Gavin Bell holds degrees from UNC-Chapel Hill and NC State and ran for U.S. House District 2 in 2022.

Sources for Bell

James D. Gailliard

Democratic

Work
Senior pastor, Word Tabernacle Church (Rocky Mount); former state representative

James D. Gailliard is senior pastor of Word Tabernacle Church in Rocky Mount and founded The REACH Center, Inc. James D. Gailliard represented House District 25 in the North Carolina House from 2019 to 2023 and is a trustee of Elizabeth City State University.

Sources for Gailliard

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.