The Ballot Brief
27533

Who is on the ballot in 27533?

Wayne County, NC

Reported by The Ballot Brief Editorial Team. Updated as public election and video sources change.

Fields below reflect the November 3, 2026 general election ballot as races are certified.

We use AI to research and write election information. Errors are possible. Verify important details with official sources.

12 races and 3 ballot questions in your ZIP preview.

About this preview
County and municipal contests depend on your exact address: use the address lookup below for the full slate. Every race links to official sources on the North Carolina voter hub.

27533 sample ballot preview

U.S. House, North Carolina District 3
3 candidates
Federal ▾
Greg Murphy portrait
GM
Greg Murphy
REP INCUMBENT
Biography
Murphy is a physician who runs a private medical practice with more than 50 employees and serves on the faculty of the ECU School of Medicine, per the campaign site. He is a Davidson College and UNC-Chapel Hill School of Medicine graduate who has done medical mission work in Haiti, India and Africa, per the campaign site.
Top Priorities
From the campaign site
  • Improving the Economy
  • Securing the Border
  • Making Healthcare Affordable
Key voting record
Voted yes on the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, the 2025 tax-and-spending package, which passed the House 218-214 in July 2025. Supported
Voted yes on the Laken Riley Act, expanding federal detention of certain immigrants charged with theft or violent crimes, which passed the House 263-156 in January 2025. Supported
Voted yes on the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal 2026, which passed the House 231-196 in September 2025. Supported
Campaign siteFull profile
Raymond Smith portrait
RS
Raymond Smith
DEM
Biography
Smith is a decorated U.S. Army combat veteran, educator and former transportation planner who served as an at-large school board member and two-term state legislator, per the campaign site. He was born and raised in Goldsboro, North Carolina, per the campaign site.
Top Priorities
From the campaign site
  • Quality, Affordable Healthcare
  • Lower Costs for Working Families
  • Strong Public Schools & Teacher Pay
Campaign siteFull profile
DC
Daniel Cavender
Biography
Daniel Cavender is a fire-protection equipment technician and Marine Corps veteran, per press coverage of the race. No campaign website was found as of October 20, 2026.
Full profile
About this race
North Carolina fields are from the State Board of Elections' certified general candidate list. NC redrew its congressional map in October 2025 (Session Law 2025-95), and this site's ZIP districts follow that 2025 map; enter your street address with the official lookup to confirm your district. This district was redrawn for 2026.
U.S. Senate
4 candidates
Federal ▾
RC
Roy Cooper
DEM
Biography
Roy Cooper is a former North Carolina governor and attorney general, per the campaign site. He was born and raised in Nash County, earned undergraduate and law degrees at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and practiced law in Rocky Mount, per the campaign site. The campaign site says he served four consecutive terms as attorney general and, as governor, reached a Medicaid expansion deal covering about 650,000 people.
Top Priorities
From the campaign site
  • Lower the cost of food and groceries
  • Make health care affordable
  • Lower energy and utility costs
Campaign Finance
$26,822,373 raised · top industries: Large donors giving $2,000+ (49% of receipts), Small-dollar donors under $200 (21% of receipts)
Record in office
Signed North Carolina's Medicaid expansion (House Bill 76) into law in 2023.
Campaign siteFull profile
MW
Michael Whatley
REP
Biography
Michael Whatley was raised in Blowing Rock, North Carolina, and holds degrees from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Wake Forest University and the University of Notre Dame, per the campaign site. He began his public service as a federal law clerk in Charlotte and later served as Sen. Elizabeth Dole's chief of staff, per the campaign site. He served as chairman of the North Carolina Republican Party and, at President Trump's request, as chairman of the Republican National Committee, per the campaign site.
Top Priorities
From the campaign site
  • Enact the Trump agenda
  • Make North Carolina safe again
  • Fight illegal immigration
Campaign Finance
$8,410,252 raised · top industries: Large donors giving $2,000+ (62% of receipts), Small-dollar donors under $200 (23% of receipts)
Campaign siteFull profile
Shannon W. Bray portrait
SW
Shannon W. Bray
Biography
Shannon W. Bray is a Navy veteran and cybersecurity professional, per the campaign site. He says he is running for the U.S. Senate because North Carolina deserves leadership that understands modern threats without sacrificing fundamental freedoms, per the campaign site.
Top Priorities
From the campaign site
  • Economy and taxes: lower costs, simpler taxes
  • Monetary policy and inflation
  • Jobs, innovation and technology
Campaign siteFull profile
MD
Michael Dublin
Biography
Michael Dublin is a native North Carolinian, a public school educator who recently retired from teaching, and a lifelong community activist, per the campaign site. The campaign site says he has led a prison ministry for more than two decades. He filed as the North Carolina Green Party's U.S. Senate candidate on June 15, 2026, per the state Green Party.
Top Priorities
From the campaign site
  • Democracy: get big money out of politics
  • Environmental justice: a Green New Deal for North Carolina
  • Social and racial equity
Campaign siteFull profile
Supreme Court Associate Justice, Seat 01
2 candidates
Statewide ▾
AE
Anita Earls
DEM
Biography
Earls is an attorney who currently serves as an Associate Justice on the North Carolina Supreme Court, per the campaign site. Her campaign focuses on protecting constitutional rights for North Carolinians, per the campaign site.
Top Priorities
From other published sources
  • Upholding the state constitution, per NCSBE Judicial Voter Guide
  • Protecting access to healthcare, per NCSBE Judicial Voter Guide
  • Defending the right to a sound basic public education and voting rights, per NCSBE Judicial Voter Guide
Campaign siteFull profile
SS
Sarah Stevens
REP
Biography
Sarah Stevens is an attorney with more than 30 years in private practice and president of the Surry County Bar Association, per her campaign site. She has served as Republican Leader and Speaker Pro Tempore of the North Carolina House, chairing the House Elections Law and Judiciary Committees, and holds a law degree from Campbell University School of Law, per her campaign site.
Campaign siteFull profile
Court of Appeals Judge, Seat 01
2 candidates
Statewide ▾
JS
John S. Arrowood
DEM
Biography
John S. Arrowood is on the State Board of Elections certified candidate list for this seat's November 3, 2026 ballot. No campaign website was found as of September 8, 2026.
Full profile
MC
Michael C. Byrne
REP
Biography
Michael C. Byrne is on the State Board of Elections certified candidate list for this seat's November 3, 2026 ballot. No campaign website was found as of September 8, 2026.
Full profile
Court of Appeals Judge, Seat 02
2 candidates
Statewide ▾
T(
Tobias (Toby) Hampson
DEM
Biography
Tobias (Toby) Hampson is on the State Board of Elections certified candidate list for this seat's November 3, 2026 ballot. No campaign website was found as of September 8, 2026.
Top Priorities
From other published sources
  • Keeping judges with Court of Appeals experience on the bench, per NCSBE Judicial Voter Guide
  • Defending the rule of law, per NCSBE Judicial Voter Guide
Full profile
GC
George Cooper Bell
REP
Biography
George Cooper Bell is on the State Board of Elections certified candidate list for this seat's November 3, 2026 ballot. No campaign website was found as of September 8, 2026.
Full profile
Court of Appeals Judge, Seat 03
2 candidates
Statewide ▾
CM
Christine Marie Walczyk
DEM
Biography
Christine Marie Walczyk is on the State Board of Elections certified candidate list for this seat's November 3, 2026 ballot. No campaign website was found as of September 8, 2026.
Top Priorities
From other published sources
  • Protecting individual liberties and equal access to justice, per NCSBE Judicial Voter Guide
  • Maintaining an independent judiciary, per NCSBE Judicial Voter Guide
Full profile
CC
Craig Collins
REP
Biography
Craig Collins is on the State Board of Elections certified candidate list for this seat's November 3, 2026 ballot. No campaign website was found as of September 8, 2026.
Full profile

Countywide races in Wayne County

ZIP 27533 sits in Wayne County, per the Census crosswalk. These seats are voted countywide; district seats, city races and school boards need a street address. All Wayne County races (13).

Wayne County Board of Commissioners At-Large (Unexpired)
2 candidates
County ▾
KJ
Kevin Johnson
REP
Biography
Kevin Johnson is Program Manager for the NC Foundation for Soil and Water Conservation and previously directed the Wayne County Cooperative Extension office, per his campaign site and the Goldsboro Daily News. He has chaired the Wayne County Chamber of Commerce Board and volunteers as a youth soccer coach and church deacon; his son serves in the U.S. Navy, per the Goldsboro Daily News. This is his first run for elected office.
Top Priorities
From the campaign site
  • Protecting farmland and supporting rural communities
  • Investing in public safety and fiscal responsibility for taxpayers
  • Recruiting jobs and strengthening infrastructure
Campaign siteFull profile
BJ
Beatrice Jones
DEM
Biography
Beatrice Jones has served on the Town of Fremont's board of commissioners, per Town of Fremont meeting minutes. No campaign website was found for her Wayne County Board of Commissioners run as of September 8, 2026. No campaign website was found as of September 8, 2026.
Full profile
About this race
This seat became vacant after the death of Commissioner Wayne Aycock; the county board appointed Dr. Joe Democko to serve on an interim basis through December 2026, per the Goldsboro Daily News (1/6/2026). Democko did not file for the seat. Kevin Johnson finished ahead of Jennifer Smith Strickland in the March 3, 2026 Republican primary, per the NC State Board of Elections' certified candidate listing, and faces Democrat Beatrice Jones in the November 3, 2026 general election to serve the remainder of the unexpired term.
Wayne County Clerk of Superior Court
1 candidate
County ▾
JW
Julie Whitfield
REP
Biography
Julie Whitfield has worked in Wayne County government for more than 27 years, the last 23 of them in the Clerk of Court's office, per the Goldsboro News-Argus. She was first elected clerk in 2022, becoming the first Republican to hold the office since the 1920s. No campaign website was found as of September 8, 2026.
Full profile
Why only one name?
Only one name is on the ballot for this office: no other candidate qualified. An unopposed candidate is elected unless a write-in outpolls them where write-ins are allowed, so this line still counts as a vote.
About this race
Julie Whitfield is unopposed for reelection in November 2026, per the Wayne County Board of Elections' certified candidate list.
Wayne County Sheriff
2 candidates
County ▾
LM
Larry M. Pierce
REP
Biography
Larry M. Pierce is the sitting Wayne County Sheriff, per the North Carolina Sheriffs' Association. He has more than 40 years of law enforcement experience and more than 50 years in the volunteer fire service, including as Deputy Chief of the Belfast Volunteer Fire Department, per his campaign site.
Campaign siteFull profile
R(
Reginald (Reggie) Edwards
DEM
Biography
Reginald (Reggie) Edwards served as a North Carolina Highway Patrol trooper in Wayne County for nearly 30 years, from 1991 through 2019, and has been a first sergeant with the National Guard since 1985, per the Goldsboro News-Argus. No campaign website was found for him as of September 8, 2026. No campaign website was found as of September 8, 2026.
Top Priorities
From other published sources
  • Expand the Community Oriented Prevention Education (COPE) program, which teaches students about drugs, violence, peer pressure and gang activity, per per the Goldsboro News-Argus
  • Increase prevention of drug- and gang-related crime, particularly through youth intervention, per per the Goldsboro News-Argus
  • Build community relationships and transparency, and ensure deputies maintain high ethical and training standards, per per the Goldsboro News-Argus
Full profile
About this race
Incumbent Larry Pierce won the March 3, 2026 Republican primary over Stephen (Stevie) Howell and Ricky Hooks, per the NC State Board of Elections' certified candidate listing, and faces Democrat Reginald (Reggie) Edwards in the November 3, 2026 general election.
Wayne Soil and Water Conservation District Supervisor
2 candidates
County ▾
RW
Ronald W. Parks
Biography
Ronald W. Parks is the incumbent chairman of the Wayne County Soil and Water Conservation District Board and is unopposed for reelection in November 2026, per the county's official board page and elected-officials roster. No campaign website was found as of September 8, 2026; the official roster and election filing is the only verifiable source for Ronald W. Parks.
Full profile
PY
Phil Yelverton
Biography
Phil Yelverton is an incumbent member of the Wayne County Soil and Water Conservation District Board and is unopposed for reelection in November 2026, per the county's official board page and elected-officials roster. No campaign website was found as of September 8, 2026; the official roster and election filing is the only verifiable source for Phil Yelverton.
Full profile
About this race
Two seats are on the November 3, 2026 ballot (vote for 2); incumbents Ronald W. Parks (chairman) and J. Phil Yelverton (member) are both unopposed, per the Wayne County Board of Elections' certified candidate list. This office is nonpartisan.
North Carolina District Court Judge, District 9, Seat 1
2 candidates
County ▾
RA
Roy A. Dawson
REP
Biography
Roy A. Dawson is a trial attorney who has practiced in the 9th Judicial District since 2014, splitting his caseload between criminal and family law, and opened his own Kinston practice, the Law Offices of Roy A. Dawson, P.A., in 2021, per his campaign site. Before law school he worked in manufacturing, die casting, restaurants and food distribution; he earned an associate degree from Alamance Community College and his law degree from UNC School of Law, where he volunteered with the Innocence Project.
Top Priorities
From the campaign site
  • Make the courtroom a place where people are heard and treated with dignity
  • Prioritize preparation, fairness and humility in judicial decision-making
  • Improve court accessibility and consistency in proceedings
Campaign siteFull profile
SD
Sonya Davis
DEM
Biography
Sonya Davis was appointed to the District 9 (Greene, Lenoir, Wayne) district court bench by Governor Josh Stein in 2025, filling the vacancy left by Judge Beth Heath's retirement, per the Office of the Governor. She previously operated her own law practice in Kinston focused on domestic law, real estate transactions and criminal defense, after earning her bachelor's and law degrees from North Carolina Central University. No campaign website was found as of September 27, 2026.
Full profile
About this race
Roy A. Dawson (Republican) and Sonya Davis (Democratic) meet on the November 3, 2026 ballot for North Carolina District Court Judge, District 9, Seat 1. Voters across Greene, Lenoir and Wayne counties vote on this seat, per North Carolina General Statutes Chapter 7A. North Carolina judicial races have been partisan since the 2018 court reorganization. The field is the State Board of Elections' certified general-election candidate list (read September 7, 2026).
North Carolina Senate District 4
2 candidates
County ▾
J(
Jessica (Jess) Rivera
DEM
Biography
Rivera is a Marine veteran with two combat deployments who transitioned to civilian life as a small-business owner, founding The Garrison Barber and Parlor in downtown Wilson, per the campaign site.
Top Priorities
From the campaign site
  • Infrastructure and school funding in eastern North Carolina
  • Economic revitalization for working families
  • Government accountability
Campaign siteFull profile
Buck Newton portrait
BN
Buck Newton
REP INCUMBENT
Biography
Buck Newton represents North Carolina Senate District 4, covering Greene, Wayne, and Wilson counties, per the NC General Assembly. He is serving his fifth term in the state Senate. No campaign website was found as of September 7, 2026.
Full profile
About this race
Jessica (Jess) Rivera (Democratic), Buck Newton (Republican) meet on the November 3 ballot; Buck Newton 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. Every address in Wayne County is in this district, per the certified district list.

Statewide, North Carolina voters also decide 3 ballot questions. See the North Carolina ballot measures guide.

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Ballot info questions for 27533
Who is running for mayor in 27533?

Mayor races depend on the city tied to your address. Use the full-address lookup, then confirm with your city or county election office.

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Data sources

Where does The Ballot Brief verify ballot info for 27533?

Vote.gov Official federal voter registration and voting information gateway.State election offices Official directory for state election deadlines, ballot rules, and voter resources.Federal Election Commission Federal candidate filings and campaign finance data.Congress.gov members Official congressional member records and identifiers.