See who’s running for NC governor, lt. gov., attorney general and other statewide seats

Candidate filing for the 2024 North Carolina primary election doesn’t start until December, but races are already heating up for governor and other statewide races.

In the governor’s race, two candidates have dropped out and two new ones joined since Labor Day. In 2024, North Carolina voters will choose the state’s next governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, superintendent of public instruction, secretary of state, labor commissioner, state auditor, state treasurer, agriculture commissioner and insurance commissioner. All 10 of those people serve on the Council of State. There are no joint ticket elections, and in many years the governor and lieutenant governor are from different political parties.

No matter the outcome, the makeup of the council will shift significantly, with several elected officials leaving or pursuing other seats at the same table. The demographics are likely to shift as well in terms of gender and race.

Here’s who is running in the primary for North Carolina statewide office as of mid-November:

Democrats for governor: Stein, Morgan

Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper is finishing his second and final term. There are two well-known Democrats trying to replace him.

▪ Josh Stein

▪ Mike Morgan

Attorney General Josh Stein had been Cooper’s heir apparent for years when he announced his run in January. For most of the year, Stein was the only one in the race and racked up several endorsements.

Stein, a former state senator and two-term attorney general, has drawn national attention for some of his work in the office, including lawsuits against drug and tobacco companies, The News & Observer previously reported.

Cooper endorsed Stein in early September, as did many other Democrats, before Stein had a competitor.

In September, just after N.C. Supreme Court Justice Mike Morgan stepped down from the bench, he announced his campaign for governor.

Morgan recently released a campaign ad on social media that describes his childhood in Eastern North Carolina, where he was one of the first Black students to integrate his elementary school and then become the first Black drum major at his high school before going on to a career in the judiciary.

His top campaign issues are education, affordable health care, addressing gun violence, “pocketbook issues” and “reformatting” criminal justice.

If Morgan won the primary and the general election, he would be the first Black governor of the state. Morgan was quick to criticize Stein for holding a campaign event at an HBCU, Shaw University, in Southeast Raleigh near where Morgan lives.

At the same campaign event, Cooper made his case for why Democrats should support Stein.

“I know that the key to our progress moving forward, we need the right person to take it over when I leave,” Cooper said, adding that Democrats need a person with integrity and grit who will work hard and has experience. “We need a person who can win, and that person is Josh Stein,” Cooper said.

Stein said at his Raleigh campaign rally this fall that Democrats have “to build on Medicaid expansion and get hospital and drug prices under control. Now, none of us should have to worry whether our kids are safe when they’re at school or at play in the neighborhood. Or our loved ones are safe when they’re at work or at worship. So we must make our community safer: tackle violent crime, confront the fentanyl crisis and recruit and retain well-trained law enforcement officers to serve our communities.”

Republicans for governor: Robinson, Folwell, Graham, Wells

▪ Mark Robinson

▪ Dale Folwell

▪ Bill Graham

▪ Andy Wells

Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson is the first Black lieutenant governor of North Carolina and would be the state’s first Black governor if he wins the primary and general elections.

On his campaign website, he says “We deserve to be represented by someone who knows us, has lived like us, and will serve the people of this state.”

Robinson had no political experience before his lieutenant governor race, gaining attention for a viral speech on gun rights at a Greensboro City Council meeting. Since then, much of what he says has been controversial, including many insulting comments about various groups of people.

Robinson, who entered the race in April at a rally at Ace Speedway in Alamance County, is part of the MAGA wing of the Republican Party that supports former President Donald Trump. Robinson has spoken at Trump rallies and other ultra-conservative events. He often speaks at churches, including a visit in July where he disparaged transgender people, school teachers and people who don’t stand for the Pledge of Allegiance, among others, and questioned climate change.

In October, when Cooper was in Japan for an economic development event, Robinson issued a proclamation as acting governor in support of Israel in the wake of an attack from Hamas. At a news conference about it, Robinson walked back earlier antisemitic remarks on social media.

State Treasurer Dale Folwell, known for going after hospitals with calls to be more transparent on pricing of medical services, alluded to Robinson’s controversies by saying his own campaign is about courage, not rage.

Folwell has not shied away from criticizing those in his own party, including Republicans in the General Assembly who exempted state lawmakers from public records law in the state budget this year.

Salisbury attorney and businessman Bill Graham joined the race in October with $5 million of his own money. Graham put up much of that for statewide television and digital advertisements, the first of which began airing in late October. Graham, who previously ran unsuccessfully for governor, said that if wins, he will cut taxes, put people back to work, “go after violent criminals including the death penalty for human traffickers and drug dealers” and “require public schools to give parents a say in their kids’ education.”

Former state Sen. Andy Wells is the lowest-profile candidate, and ran unsuccessfully in the Republican primary for lieutenant governor in 2020, losing to Robinson.

There are no women running for governor from either major party.

Candidates for NC lieutenant governor

The office itself is mostly a bully pulpit, as the General Assembly removed most of its power over the years. The lieutenant governor is Senate president and may preside over the chamber, though only voting to break a tie. Lieutenant governors also serve on several boards, including the State Board of Education. Sometimes being lieutenant governor has been a stepping stone to governor, as it was with former Gov. Bev Perdue, the first and only female governor in North Carolina.

Candidates in the primary include six Republicans and two Democrats:

▪ Republican former state Sen. Deanna Ballard of Watauga County, who is now a consultant for the evangelical organization Samaritan’s Purse. In the Senate, she was an education committee chair.

▪ Peter Boykin of Mebane, who describes himself as the “true ‘We The People,’ grassroots, Americans First, Constitutionalist” candidate.

▪ Rep. Jeffrey Elmore, a state House member and a teacher in Wilkes County schools.

▪ Allen Mashburn, a pastor and insurance agent from Greensboro.

▪ Rockingham County Sheriff Sam Page.

▪ Hal Weatherman, who has not held elected office but has worked in politics for former Lt. Gov. Dan Forest and former U.S. Reps. Sue Myrick and Madison Cawthorn.

▪ Democratic former state Sen. Ben Clark of Raeford, who unsuccessfully ran for a U.S. House seat last year.

▪ State Sen. Rachel Hunt, who represents a district in Mecklenburg County. She’s the daughter of former four-term Gov. Jim Hunt.

Candidates for NC attorney general

This is likely the highest profile statewide race other than governor. There is no incumbent with Stein running for governor. The likely general election candidates are now both high-profile members of Congress.

▪ Democratic U.S. Rep. Jeff Jackson of Charlotte, who announced his run after Republican state lawmakers drew him out of his district.

▪ Republican U.S. Rep. Dan Bishop, who already has support from the influential campaign funder Club for Growth.

Also running, before Jackson got into the race, is:

▪ Democrat Tim Dunn of Fayetteville, who spent 33 years in the Marine Corps. Now a colonel in the Marine Reserves, Dunn practices law.

Candidates for state auditor

Democratic State Auditor Beth Wood, nearly a year after a hit-and-run after a holiday party in downtown Raleigh in her state vehicle, announced she is not running for reelection and would resign on Dec. 15. Her replacement will be appointed by the governor, so a Democrat. That person may end up being the Democratic frontrunner in the race.

Here’s who’s running for auditor:

▪ Democrat Luis Toledo, who has served as an assistant state auditor

▪ Republican Jack Clark, a certified public accountant.

▪ Republican David Boliek, chair of the UNC-Chapel Hill Board of Trustees.

▪ Republican Charles Dingee, former chair of the Wake County Young Republicans.

▪ Republican A.J. Daoud, former NCGOP district chairman.

▪ Republican Jim Kee, a former Greensboro City Council member.

Candidates for state treasurer

With Folwell seeking a different office, there is no incumbent. Candidates for state treasurer are:

▪ Democratic state Rep. Wesley Harris, an economist from Charlotte.

▪ Republican state Rep. John Bradford of Cornelius.

▪ Democrat Gabe Esparza of Charlotte, who previously served as a senior official in the U.S. Small Business Administration. If he wins the primary and general election, Esparza would be the first Latino treasurer.

Candidates for labor commissioner

Current Labor Commissioner Josh Dobson, a Republican, is not seeking a second term. The commissioner is known for having their photo in elevators across the state, among other things. Unlike his predecessor Cherie Berry, Dobson no longer wants to include the commissioner’s photo in elevators.

The candidates are:

▪ Republican state Rep. Jon Hardister of Guilford County. He’s in his sixth House term and stepped down from his position as majority whip in the House to focus more on his campaign. Hardister said he would bring back the elevator photos of the commissioner.

▪ Democratic Charlotte City Council member Braxton Winston, who was first elected to his at-large council seat in 2017.

▪ Republican Luke Farley, an attorney and political newcomer.

▪ Republican Travis Wilson of Union County.

Candidates for superintendent of public instruction

▪ Republican Superintendent of Public Instruction Catherine Truitt, who leads the public school system of North Carolina, is running for her second term in office.

▪ Democrat C.R. “Katie” Eddings, a personal finance teacher at Lee Early College High School in Sanford.

▪ Democrat Mo Green, the former superintendent of Guilford County Schools and former executive director of the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation.

Candidates for secretary of state

Democratic Secretary of State Elaine Marshall, who has served since 1997, is running for reelection, according to BusinessNC. She is the first woman elected to a statewide, executive-branch office in North Carolina.

Republicans challenging Marshall are:

▪ Gaston County Commission Chair Chad Brown, who unsuccessfully ran in the 2020 primary for secretary of state.

▪ Jesse Thomas of Cary, a former health care executive, who originally announced a run for governor, saying he’ll bring “common sense to Raleigh” and wants to “reset the temperature” of politics.

▪ Darren Eustance, former chair of the Wake County Republican Party.

▪ John Gouch, general manager of a cemetery business.

Candidate filing starts in December

All these candidates announced they were running before candidate filing started. Candidate filing for the 2024 election starts Dec. 4.

Are you a Council of State candidate and not on this list? Let us know. Email dvaughan@newsobserver.com.