CalledUnofficial results
North Carolina House District 53
North Carolina House of Representatives · North Carolina
Howard L. Penny Jr. won re-election by 5.2 points over Kevin G. Thurman.
Howard L. Penny Jr.Republican · winner · incumbent
51.6%17,570
Kevin G. ThurmanDemocrat
46.3%15,787
Christopher SessionsLibertarian
2.1%722
34,079 votes
Source: North Carolina State Board of Elections unofficial resultsUpdated Nov 7, 2026, 1:22 PM ET
Where the race moved
Against the 2024 presidential vote
The seat's recent races
Source: Past results: 99chambers results archive (MEDSL, Klarner, state election offices)
Money in this race
Each line compares the two campaigns on one scale.
No DemocratHoward L. Penny Jr.
—
Raised by the campaign
$124.1K
—
Spent by the campaign
$40.8K
—
Cash on hand
$28.6K
Campaign money: North Carolina State Board of Elections, through Oct 17, 2026.
Source: North Carolina State Board of Elections campaign filingsUpdated Oct 17, 2026
Pre-election forecast (final, Nov 3)
Our model's last run before Election Day, Nov 3, 2026. It no longer updates.
- Kevin G. Thurman
- 1%
- Howard L. Penny Jr.
- 99%
- Projected margin
- R+19.5
The candidates
Howard L. Penny Jr. (R)
Incumbent, North Carolina House of Representatives, first elected 2020Kevin G. Thurman (D)
Incumbent, North Carolina House of Representatives, first elected 2020Kevin G. Thurman (D)
Also on the ballot: Christopher Sessions (Libertarian), 2.1%