GOP’s Murphy concedes in North Carolina House race

This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. End of dialog window. Rep. Greg Murphy (R-N. C.) conceded his reelection race on Wednesday to Democrat Raymond Smith, flipping another House seat for Democrats after a close contest in North Carolina’s 3rd Congressional District. Decision Desk HQ, a partner of The Hill, has yet to call the race, but as of Wednesday evening, Smith led Murphy by less than 300 votes after trailing the GOP lawmaker by even fewer votes on election night. Provisional ballots helped ease Murphy’s narrow lead and put Smith ahead. “I want to congratulate Representative-Elect Raymond Smith on his successful election for the Third District Congressional seat,” Murphy said in a statement. “I am sure he will serve the next two years with honor and integrity.” Murphy, who has represented the eastern North Carolina district since 2019, thanked his supporters and said serving in Congress had been the greatest honor of his life. “I would be remiss if I did not express personal disappointment in not being able to continue what I believe was good and diligent work on behalf of the people of eastern North Carolina,” his statement reads. Smith, an army veteran and former state lawmaker, celebrated the win on Wednesday, thanking volunteers and voters who supported his campaign. “This victory doesn’t belong to me. It belongs to the people who believed in something greater than themselves,” Smith said in a post on the social platform X. “Whether you may have voted for me or not, I intend to work just as hard for you,” he added. “Our communities deserve to be heard in Washington, and I’m ready to get to work.” Murphy had already declared victory a day after the election, despite thousands of ballots still awaiting counting. In a social media post at the time, he said he was “honored to be reelected by the good people of the Third District,” describing the race as a razor-thin victory. Smith disputed the declaration at the time, pointing to roughly 6,000 provisional ballots that had yet to be counted across the district’s nine counties. His campaign also began seeking donations to prepare for a possible recount. Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.