# Howard J. Hunter III

Howard Jacque Hunter III is a former member of the North Carolina House of Representatives who represented the state's 5th House district (including constituents in Gates, Hertford, and Pasquotank counties) from 2015 to 2023. A Democrat, Hunter was first elected to the legislature in 2014. He was re-elected in 2016, 2018, and 2020, but he lost re-election in 2022.
Hunter is the son of the late Rep. Howard J. Hunter Jr. and is the nephew of former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Mike Espy.

## Electoral history
### 2022

North Carolina House of Representatives 5th district general election, 2022 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | Bill Ward | 15,784 | 53.83% |
| | Democratic | Howard Hunter III (incumbent) | 13,539 | 46.17% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 29,323 | 100% |
| | Republican gain from Democratic | Republican gain from Democratic | Republican gain from Democratic | Republican gain from Democratic |

### 2020

North Carolina House of Representatives 5th district Democratic primary election, 2020 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Howard Hunter III (incumbent) | 6,359 | 67.48% |
| | Democratic | Keith Rivers | 3,064 | 32.52% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 9,423 | 100% |
North Carolina House of Representatives 5th district general election, 2020 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Howard Hunter III (incumbent) | 20,061 | 56.71% |
| | Republican | Donald Kirkland | 15,314 | 43.29% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 35,375 | 100% |
| | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold |

### 2018

North Carolina House of Representatives 5th district general election, 2018 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Howard Hunter III (incumbent) | 15,206 | 59.92% |
| | Republican | Phillip Smith | 10,172 | 40.08% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 25,378 | 100% |
| | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold |

### 2016

North Carolina House of Representatives 5th district general election, 2016 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Howard Hunter III (incumbent) | 25,961 | 100% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 25,961 | 100% |
| | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold |

### 2014

North Carolina House of Representatives 5th district Democratic primary election, 2014 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Howard Hunter III | 5,248 | 58.89% |
| | Democratic | Annie Mobley (incumbent) | 3,664 | 41.11% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 8,912 | 100% |
North Carolina House of Representatives 5th district general election, 2014 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Howard Hunter III | 14,430 | 68.55% |
| | Republican | Sidney Pierce III | 6,620 | 31.45% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 21,050 | 100% |
| | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold |

## Committee assignments
### 2021-2022 session

* Agriculture
* Transportation
* Health
* Ethics
* Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House Committee
* Finance
* Families, Children, and Aging Policy Committee (Chair)

### 2019-2020 session

* Appropriations
* Appropriations - Information Technology Committee
* Agriculture (Vice Chair)
* Transportation
* Health
* Ethics
* Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House

### 2017-2018 session

* Appropriations
* Appropriations - Agriculture and Natural and Economic Resources
* Agriculture
* Elections and Ethics Law
* Transportation
* Education - K-12
* Health
* University Board of Governors Nominations

### 2015-2016 session

* Appropriations
* Appropriations - Health and Human Services
* Agriculture
* Commerce and Job Development
* Elections
* Judiciary IV
* Transportation