North Carolina › Johnston County › North Carolina House District 53
3 candidates are tracked for North Carolina House District 53 on the November 3, 2026 ballot: Kevin G. Thurman, Christopher Sessions and Howard L. Penny, Jr.. Candidate information follows official Johnston County election filings; verify with the official election office linked below.
Kevin G. Thurman (Democratic), Christopher Sessions (Libertarian), Howard L. Penny, Jr. (Republican) meet on the November 3 ballot; Howard L. Penny, Jr. is the sitting member, per the General Assembly's roster. Party nominees were chosen at the March 3 primary (a second primary is held only when no one reaches 30 percent plus one); unaffiliated candidates qualified by petition. The field is the State Board of Elections' certified general-election candidate list (read September 7, 2026). This seat is elected by district; only the district covering your address appears on your ballot.
Democratic
Kevin G. Thurman has worked at Research Triangle Institute and Blue Cross NC on healthcare policy issues, per his campaign site. He holds a bachelor's degree in political science from Duke University and a Master of Public Administration from North Carolina Central University, per the same source.
Source: candidate campaign site.
Campaign site →Libertarian
Christopher Sessions is the Libertarian candidate for North Carolina House District 53 on the November 3, 2026 ballot, per the State Board of Elections' certified general-election candidate list. No campaign website or questionnaire response was found as of September 7, 2026.
Republican · Incumbent
Howard L. Penny, Jr. is the Republican candidate for North Carolina House District 53 on the November 3, 2026 ballot, per the State Board of Elections' certified general-election candidate list.