North Carolina House Speaker Tim Moore announces intent to run for Congress

Gary D. Robertson
·2 min read
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Republican North Carolina House Speaker Tim Moore speaks to reporters Sept. 21, 2023, in Raleigh.
Republican North Carolina House Speaker Tim Moore speaks to reporters Sept. 21, 2023, in Raleigh.

On Tuesday, North Carolina Speaker of the House Tim Moore officially announced his candidacy for Congress in the 14th Congressional district, covering portions of the southwestern corner of North Carolina.

Moore, a Republican from Cleveland County, is currently in a record fifth two-year term as speaker, already had announced that he wouldn't seek reelection to his state House seat in 2024 and was considering a bid for Washington.

A redrawn map of North Carolina's congressional districts enacted last week by the GOP-controlled General Assembly created the new Republican-leaning 14th District covering all or parts of six counties stretching from parts of Charlotte west to the foothills, including Moore's hometown of Kings Mountain.

While the general election isn't until November 2024, candidate filing for the March 5 primary begins next month.

Democratic U.S. Rep. Jeff Jackson, who represents the current 14th District, was drawn by legislators into a different, heavily GOP district and announced last week that he would run for state attorney general next year instead.

Republican Pat Harrigan, who lost to Jackson in the 2022 general election, has announced his plan to run again in the reconfigured 14th.

The new congressional map would appear to give the GOP a strong chance to win at least 10 of the 14 seats in the state's delegation. Under a previous map created by state judges for the 2022 elections, Democrats and Republicans won seven seats apiece.

FILE - State Sen. Jeff Jackson, D-Mecklenburg, speaks to students while campaigning at North Carolina State University in Raleigh, N.C., Nov. 3, 2021. North Carolina Republicans pitched on Wednesday, Oct. 18, 2023, new maps for the state's congressional districts starting in 2024 that appear to threaten the reelection of at least three current Democratic U.S. House members. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome, File)

Moore has been attentive this year to national and international affairs, visiting Ukraine several months ago and traveling last weekend to the U.S.-Mexico border. He's also recently held public events in counties that include the reconfigured 14th District.

Moore, 53, is an attorney who was first elected to the state House in 2002. He became the House Rules Committee chairman in 2011 when Republicans took over the chamber and succeeded now-U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis as speaker in 2015.

Moore has said he would serve out the remainder of his term through the end of next year and be speaker during the budget-adjusting work session scheduled to begin in April.

This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Tim Moore announces intent to run for Congress