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North Carolina's 3rd Congressional District election, 2016
2018 →
← 2014
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November 8, 2016 |
June 7, 2016 |
Walter Jones  |
Walter Jones |
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Cook Political Report: Solid R[1] Sabato's Crystal Ball: Safe R[2] Rothenberg & Gonzales: Safe R[3] |
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The 3rd Congressional District of North Carolina held an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 8, 2016.
Heading into the election, Ballotpedia rated this race as safely Republican. Incumbent Walter Jones (R) defeated Democratic candidate Ernest Reeves in the general election. Jones defeated Taylor Griffin and Phil Law in the Republican primary, while Reeves defeated David Hurst for the Democratic nomination. The primary election took place on June 7, 2016. The general election took place on November 8, 2016.[4]
| Candidate Filing Deadline | Primary Election | General Election |
|---|---|---|
Primary: A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. North Carolina utilizes a semi-closed primary system. Parties decide who may vote in their respective primaries. Voters may choose a primary ballot without impacting their unaffiliated status.[6]
For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.
Incumbent: Heading into the election the incumbent was Walter Jones (R), who was first elected in 1994.
North Carolina's 3rd Congressional District encompasses all of the Outer Banks and most of North Carolina's coast on the Atlantic Ocean, with the exception of Wilmington and the surrounding region near the state's border with South Carolina.
Election results
General election
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican |  Walter Jones Incumbent |
67.2% | 217,531 | |
| Democratic | Ernest Reeves | 32.8% | 106,170 | |
| Total Votes | 323,701 | |||
| Source: North Carolina State Board of Elections | ||||
Primary election
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Walter Jones Incumbent |
64.9% | 15,799 | ||
| Phil Law | 20.3% | 4,946 | ||
| Taylor Griffin | 14.8% | 3,610 | ||
| Total Votes | 24,355 | |||
| Source: North Carolina State Board of Elections |
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| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Ernest Reeves |
54.7% | 6,456 | ||
| David Hurst | 45.3% | 5,351 | ||
| Total Votes | 11,807 | |||
| Source: North Carolina State Board of Elections |
||||
Candidates
|
General election candidates: Walter Jones   Ernest Reeves |
|
Primary candidates:[7] |
|
Democratic Ernest Reeves [4] |
Republican [8][9][10]Taylor Griffin - Former George W. Bush aide[9][11] Phil Law[9][12] |
Media
Taylor Griffin
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Redistricting
North Carolina's congressional district plan was subject to litigation following its adoption in 2011. Two challenges to the plan were heard by the Supreme Court of the United States: Cooper v. Harris, which was decided in 2017, and Rucho v. Common Cause, which decided on June 27, 2019. As a result of Rucho, North Carolina's congressional district plan was upheld. For more complete information, see this article.
District history
2014
The 3rd Congressional District of North Carolina held an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 4, 2014. Incumbent Walter Jones (R) defeated Marshall Adame (D) in the general election.
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Walter Jones Incumbent |
67.8% | 139,415 | |
| Democratic | Marshall Adame | 32.2% | 66,182 | |
| Total Votes | 205,597 | |||
| Source: North Carolina State Board of Elections | ||||
2012
The 3rd Congressional District of North Carolina held an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 6, 2012. Incumbent Walter Jones (R) defeated Erik Anderson (D) in the general election.
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Erik Anderson | 36.9% | 114,314 | |
| Republican | Walter B. Jones Incumbent |
63.1% | 195,571 | |
| Total Votes | 309,885 | |||
| Source: North Carolina State Board of Elections "Official Election Results, 2012 General Election" | ||||
Important dates and deadlines
- See also: North Carolina elections, 2016
The calendar below lists important dates for political candidates in North Carolina in 2016.
| Dates and requirements for candidates in 2016 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Deadline | Event type | Event description | |
| December 1, 2015 | Ballot access | Filing period for partisan candidates opens | |
| December 21, 2015 | Ballot access | Filing period for partisan candidates closes | |
| March 7, 2016 | Campaign finance | First quarter report due | |
| March 15, 2016 | Election date | Primary election (non-congressional offices) | |
| June 7, 2016 | Election date | Congressional primary | |
| June 9, 2016 | Ballot access | Unaffiliated candidates for federal, statewide, and state legislative offices that span more than one county must submit petitions to county boards of election for verification | |
| June 24, 2016 | Ballot access | Unaffiliated candidates for federal, statewide, and state legislative offices that span more than one county must submit petitions to the state board of elections | |
| June 24, 2016 | Ballot access | Unaffiliated candidates for state legislative offices that span only one county must submit petitions to the appropriate county board of elections | |
| July 12, 2016 | Campaign finance | Second quarter report due | |
| July 26, 2016 | Ballot access | Write-in candidates for federal, statewide, and state legislative offices that span more than one county must submit their petitions to county boards of election for verification | |
| July 29, 2016 | Campaign finance | Mid-year semi-annual report due | |
| August 10, 2016 | Ballot access | Write-in candidates for federal, statewide, and state legislative offices that span more than one county must submit their petitions to the state board of elections | |
| August 10, 2016 | Ballot access | Write-in candidates for state legislative offices that span only one county must submit their petitions to the appropriate county board of elections | |
| October 21, 2016 | Campaign finance | Third quarter report due | |
| November 8, 2016 | Election date | General election | |
| January 11, 2017 | Campaign finance | Fourth quarter report due | |
| January 27, 2017 | Campaign finance | Year-end semi-annual report due | |
| Sources: North Carolina State Board of Elections, "Candidate Filing," accessed June 12, 2015 North Carolina State Board of Elections, "Fact Sheet: Unaffiliated Candidates, 2016 Election," accessed June 12, 2015 North Carolina State Board of Elections, "Fact Sheet: Write-in Candidates, 2016 Election," accessed June 12, 2015 North Carolina State Board of Elections, "Reporting Schedules," accessed November 25, 2015 | |||
See also
- United States House of Representatives elections in North Carolina, 2016
- United States House of Representatives elections, 2016
Footnotes
- ↑ Cook Political Report, "2016 House Race Ratings for July 11, 2016," accessed July 19, 2016
- ↑ Sabato's Crystal Ball, "2016 House," accessed July 18, 2016
- ↑ Rothenberg & Gonzales Political Report, "House Ratings," accessed July 19, 2016
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 North Carolina State Board of Elections, "June Primary Candidates," accessed March 27, 2016
- ↑ North Carolina's congressional primary was pushed back following court-ordered redistricting
- ↑ North Carolina General Assembly, "N.C. Gen. Stat. § 163–119," accessed October 21, 2025
- ↑ Candidates are listed by party and alphabetically within each party.
- ↑ Politico, “North Carolina House Primary Results,” June 7, 2016
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedfiled - ↑ Roll Call, "Undeterred by Primary Threats, Walter Jones to Seek 12th Term," February 19, 2015
- ↑ Roll Call, "Walter Jones Primary Challenger Looks for Rematch in 2016," July 7, 2015
- ↑ Ballotpedia staff, "Email correspondence with Phil Law," November 9, 2015
For information about public policy issues in the 2016 elections, see: Public policy in the 2016 elections!
