2026 General Election · Tuesday, November 3, 2026

North Carolina Senate District 3

2 candidates, listed alphabetically.

Candidates

Bob Brinson

RepublicanIncumbent

In office now
State Senator, District 3
Work
Retired Army officer; state senator since 2024

Bob Brinson is the sitting State Senator for District 3 in the North Carolina General Assembly, a district that includes all or part of Beaufort, Craven and Lenoir counties; the member page lists 1 term in the Senate.

Bob Brinson served 28 years in the U.S. Army as a helicopter pilot, logistician and inspector general, including as a battalion commander and as an instructor at the Army Inspector General School. Bob Brinson served on the New Bern Board of Aldermen and has been in the North Carolina Senate since 2024; he is a West Point graduate.

Brinson's committees

  • Agriculture, Energy, and Environment
  • Appropriations on Agriculture, Natural, and Economic Resources
  • Education/Higher Education
  • Select Committee on Property Tax Reform
  • State and Local Government
  • Transportation
  • Joint Legislative Transportation Oversight Committee
  • Joint Legislative Emergency Management Oversight Committee

Sources for Brinson

Charles Dudley

Democratic

Work
Senior pastor, New Beginnings Ministry of Faith (Havelock); retired Marine

Charles Dudley is senior pastor of New Beginnings Ministry of Faith and served 22 years in the U.S. Marine Corps, including during Desert Shield and Desert Storm. Charles Dudley ran for the legislature in 2018 and for Senate District 3 in 2024.

Sources for Dudley

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.