Shelly Willingham (born November 27, 1943) is a

Democratic Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

member of the

North Carolina House of Representatives The North Carolina House of Representatives is one of the two houses of the North Carolina General Assembly. The House is a 120-member body led by a Speaker of the House, who holds powers similar to those of the President pro-tem in the North ...

. He has represented the 23rd district (which includes all of

Martin Martin may refer to: Places * Martin City (disambiguation) * Martin County (disambiguation) * Martin Township (disambiguation) Antarctica * Martin Peninsula, Marie Byrd Land * Port Martin, Adelie Land * Point Martin, South Orkney Islands Aus ...

and Edgecombe counties) since 2015. He previously served in the House from 2002 to 2003.

Political career

Willingham was first appointed to the 70th district of the

in 2002 to succeed

Toby Fitch Milton Frederick "Toby" Fitch Jr. (born October 20, 1946) is a Democratic former member of the North Carolina State Senate. He is a retired North Carolina Superior Court Judge, serving from 2002 to 2018. Fitch also served in the North Carolina ...

, who stepped down to become a judge. Willingham ran for a full term in the new 24th district (the geographic successor to the 70th district) in 2002, but lost the primary to

Jean Farmer-Butterfield Jean Farmer-Butterfield (born October 21, 1947) is an American politician who served as a member of the North Carolina House of Representatives for the 24th district from January 2003 to July 2020. Early life and education Farmer-Butterfield was ...

who went on to win the general election. Willingham unsuccessfully challenged state senator Clark Jenkins in the 2004, 2006, and 2008 primaries. Willingham then served 2 terms on the

Edgecombe County Edgecombe County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 48,900. Its county seat is Tarboro. Edgecombe County is part of the Rocky Mount, North Carolina, Metropolitan Statistical Area ...

School Board. Willingham returned to the NC House in 2015, after being elected in

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

to the 23rd district. Since his initial election in 2014, Willingham has been re-elected to the NC House a total of 3 times, most recently in

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global social and economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, worldwide lockdowns and the largest economic recession since the Great Depression in ...

Electoral history

2020

2018

2016

2014

2008

2006

2004

2002

Committee assignments

2021-2022 Session

*Appropriations *Appropriations - Transportation *Alcoholic Beverage Control (Vice Chair) *Insurance (Vice Chair) *Election Law and Campaign Finance Reform *Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House *State Personnel

2019-2020 Session

*Appropriations *Appropriations - Transportation *Alcoholic Beverage Control *Insurance *Election Law and Campaign Finance Reform *Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House *State and Local Government

2017-2018 Session

*Appropriations *Appropriations - Justice and Public Safety *Alcoholic Beverage Control *Elections and Ethics Law *Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House *State Personnel *Transportation

2015-2016 session

*Appropriations *Appropriations - Information Technology *Alcoholic Beverage Control *Elections *Agriculture *Banking *Education - Universities *Judiciary IV

References

External links

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Willingham, Shelly Living people 1943 births People from Rocky Mount, North Carolina Elizabeth City State University alumni Democratic Party members of the North Carolina House of Representatives African-American state legislators in North Carolina 21st-century American politicians 21st-century African-American politicians 20th-century African-American people