GREENVILLE – A super PAC reported $131,107.63 in independent expenditures supporting Republican U.S. Rep. Greg Murphy in North Carolina’s 3rd Congressional District. Reuters described it as the first outside spending on his behalf in the 2026 race.
Center Forward Initiative Inc. reported paying Caliber Contact for direct mail supporting Murphy. The filing identifies the contest as North Carolina’s 3rd District and the 2026 general election. It also contains the committee’s certification that the expenditure was not coordinated with a candidate, an authorized campaign committee or a political party.
The filing, submitted Sept. 23, reports an expenditure or obligation dated Sept. 19 and a public dissemination date of Sept. 21. It is not listed as a future advertising reservation.
Reuters reported the spending Sunday as Republican groups began directing money toward dozens of U.S. House districts that had previously been considered safe. The news service said Democratic groups had spent more than $326,000 opposing Murphy since July, based on federal filings. That figure is separate from Center Forward Initiative’s expenditure supporting him.
Murphy is an incumbent Republican seeking another term. The North Carolina State Board of Elections’ current general-election candidate list shows Democrat Raymond Smith and Libertarian Daniel Cavender also running in District 3.
The spending comes as control of the U.S. House remains closely divided. Republicans hold 218 seats and Democrats hold 214, while one independent caucuses with Republicans and two seats are vacant, Reuters reported. Democrats would need a net gain of at least four seats to take control under that alignment.
President Donald Trump carried the district by 14 percentage points in 2024, and the Cook Political Report rates the race Solid Republican, according to Reuters. The new expenditure does not change the rating, but it puts fresh outside money into a North Carolina race where opposing groups were already active.
Independent expenditures are made without coordination with a candidate or campaign. The filing documents the amount, payee, purpose and position supported; it does not indicate that Murphy’s campaign requested or directed the spending.
Sources
- Reuters: Republicans pour money into dozens of U.S. House races previously considered safe
- Federal Election Commission: Center Forward Initiative Schedule E filing
- North Carolina State Board of Elections: 2026 general-election candidate list
Photo Credit: U.S. Congress official portrait via Wikimedia Commons; public domain U.S. federal-government work. Photographed Oct. 16, 2019.
Editor’s Note: This article was drafted with the assistance of artificial intelligence and was reviewed and fact-checked by a member of the NC Political News editorial team before publication.