The closer November 5 gets the more candidates campaign urging voters to turn out at the ballot box. North Carolina voters will have a ballot filled with more races than just the presidential and congressional. State offices, including governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general and multiple executive offices are up for grabs.
This year presents voters a chance to completely change the political landscape in North Carolina by giving them the chance to vote in new leadership in key departments such as education, the judiciary, the treasury and more.
Qnotes has created a list of the important state-wide races taking place this year, as well as summaries of each candidate running for those offices.
Office of the North Carolina Governor
Attorney General & Democratic gov. candidate Josh Stein.
The North Carolina gubernatorial election has garnered national attention, with current Attorney General Josh Stein, a broad-minded Democratic candidate who is capable of governing for everyone, pitted against controversial right-wing, anti-LGBTQ+ Republican MAGA conservative Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson for the Governor’s Mansion.
Stein has grown in popularity in the last month in North Carolina, leading Robinson in head to head polls by over 10 percentage points in some cases. North Carolina based publication Carolina Journal had its own survey, and it found Stein was favored by likely voters with a total of nearly five percentage points. For the presidential race, Harris still trails Trump in North Carolina by one percentage point according to a poll through the John Locke Foundation, though it is believed she will likely overcome that number before early voting and election day.
“The poll indicates that Josh Stein holds an advantage in voter trust over Mark Robinson, on the issues of the economy, education, and crime,” said John Locke Foundation CEO Donald Bryson
Robinson has been the subject of an undue number of national headlines for his notorious anti-LGBTQ+ and anti-reproductive freedom comments. Several of his sermon-like speeches have gone viral for the comments Robinson has made about LGBTQ+ North Carolinians, ranging from calling gay men, lesbians and trans people “filth” to suggesting arresting trans women for using the restroom aligning with their gender identity.
Office of Lt. Governor
Democratic candidate Rachel Hunt.
The 2024 North Carolina Lt. Governor race is shaping up as a pivotal contest featuring diverse candidates, including one name some voters may recognize. On the Democratic side, Rachel Hunt, a state senator with a focus on education and healthcare reform, easily won her primary. As the daughter of former Governor Jim Hunt, she leverages her family’s political legacy, emphasizing expanding Medicaid, increasing teacher pay and supporting public schools.
The Republican race was more contentious, and in fact, resulted in a runoff between Hal Weatherman and Jim O’Neill. Weatherman, who served as Chief of Staff to former Lt. Governor Dan Forest, won the runoff to become the nominee for the Republicans. He advocates for conservative principles, economic growth, and reducing government regulations. His campaign also emphasizes border security and support for law enforcement.
According to a poll from Public Policy Polling in March, almost 30 percent of voters were undecided in how they would vote in the Lt. Gov.’s race. Weatherman lead Hunt 37 percent to 34 percent, which is within the 4.2 percent margin of error.
Most of the individuals surveyed weren’t aware of either candidate’s position on abortion, but when the administerer revealed Hunt’s pro-choice stance and Weatherman’s anti-access one, Hunt gained a significant advantage.
That same survey also revealed that voters oppose North Carolina’s 12-week abortion ban by a 13-point margin (49-36). Forty-two percent of North Carolina voters say they would be less likely to vote for a candidate who supported the 12-week abortion ban, while only 27 percent say they would be more likely to vote for such a candidate.
Office of the Attorney General
NC Attorney General candidate Jeff Jackson.
North Carolina’s attorney general election is set up to be a head-to-head matchup between two familiar faces in Mecklenburg County: Democratic Congressman and former state senator Jeff Jackson and Republican Congressman Dan Bishop.
Jackson decided to run for attorney general after Republicans gerrymandered him out of his congressional district. As a state senator, Jackson filed several bills to fully repeal the HB2 “bathroom bill,” pushing the majority party in the General Assembly to repeal the bill. He has also continued to voice his support for LGBTQ+ North Carolinians, including voicing support for nondiscrimination ordinances.
“The LGBTQ+ community has been the target of hateful and discriminatory attacks under the Trump administration, from the transgender military ban to the rolling back of non-discrimination protections for LGBTQ+ people looking for help from Health and Welfare programs,” Jackson wrote in a statement. “We have to enact nondiscrimination protections in law now to protect against any such attacks in the future.”
Bishop’s legislative record is notorious — he’s widely recognized for authoring the notoriously anti-LGBTQ+ “Bathroom Bill,” (HB2, mentioned earlier). The bill was designed to prohibit trans-identifying individuals from using the bathroom that coincides with their gender identity. It was later revised to House Bill 142, which made no mention of trans individuals and bathrooms. But, it did temporarily nullify existing Non-Discrimination Ordinances (NDO) and prevented further passage of any NDOs across North Carolina.
The passage of HB2 and the remnants of HB 142 resulted in an estimated $3.75 billion loss in the North Carolina economy when several national businesses and organizations, musical artists and others pulled their scheduled North Carolina-based events.
Office of the Secretary of State
Incumbent Elaine Marshall is running for another term.
Incumbent Elaine Marshall, a Democrat, is running for re-election as North Carolina Secretary of State against Republican challenger Chad Brown. The Secretary of State is tasked with overseeing the economic and business-related operations of the state government.
Marshall, who has held the position since 1996, emphasizes her experience, record of reducing business costs, and commitment to transparency. Before her tenure as Secretary of State, she served in the North Carolina State Senate and worked as a teacher and small business owner.
Brown, a Gaston County Commissioner and former mayor of Stanley, North Carolina, identifies as a conservative, purportedly prioritizing transparency, economic development and reducing government burdens on businesses.
Brown has voiced his concerns over the integrity of elections and has referred to misinformation regarding the results of the 2020 election, saying he wants to “protect our elections and ensure that every vote is counted.”
As it stands, North Carolina’s secretary of state doesn’t oversee the state’s elections. Marshall is worried if Brown is elected, a Republican majority could vote to move the oversight of elections into the department.
“What my opponent is saying to the crowd he’s campaigning to is that if he gets elected, if there’s a Republican in the secretary of state’s office, then he will petition the General Assembly to move the election to him,” Marshall said in an interview with Cardinal & Pine.
When asked if she believed the state legislature would attempt to change the powers of the office, Marshall said, “Absolutely. I feel very confident about that.”
Superintendent of Public Instruction
As the potential school superintendent, Mo Greene will oversee K-12 education throughout NC.
<BOLD> Mo Green <BOLD> (D) and Michele Morrow (R) are running in the general election for North Carolina superintendent of public instruction on November 5, 2024. This position oversees the K-12 public education system in the state, including providing a standard curriculum and allocating funding for each of North Carolina’s 100 counties’ schools.
Green is a veteran educator and school administrator with a career spanning decades of dedication to North Carolina students. He served as the superintendent in Guilford County, North Carolina’s third largest public school district.
Green also has served as the president of the board of directors of the N.C. High School Athletic Association (NCHSAA), where under his leadership, the entity appointed the first female and first Black commissioner of NCHSAA.
The former superintendent’s plan has six “pillars:” invest fully in public education; prepare each student for their next phase of life; revere public education educators; enhance community and parent support; ensure safe, secure learning environments; and celebrate the good in public education.
“There is much to celebrate about public education in North Carolina and its transformative power. However, it is long past time for our state to truly fulfill its promise to each of its students – that no matter who you are, you will receive high-quality educational opportunities that will prepare you to be successful,” Green said in his announcement. “We can make that happen if we invest fully in public education, ensure safe and secure learning environments for our students, enhance parent and community support and revere our educators.”
Morrow, on the other hand, is a homeschool teacher for her kids and is running as the Republican nominee for superintendent. Morrow is a new name in the North Carolina political scene — she won the Republican nomination in March against incumbent Caroline Truitt in an unexpected upset. Prior to securing the nomination, Morrow was relatively unknown in North Carolina, but in the days following, unsettling information about her came to light.
Ranging from social media posts calling for the public executions of former President Barack Obama and current President Joe Biden to misinformation regarding the public education system, Morrow has begun to face criticism not only from Democrats, but also from people within her own party.
She has also referred to public schools as “indoctrination centers” and “socialism centers,” saying if she were to win in November, Morrow would “identify, decrease or terminate wasteful programs at the state level, and end contracts with organizations that cannot demonstrate a direct, consistent, positive impact on student success and staff retention.”
North Carolina Auditor
Jessica Holmes is the Democratic candidate in a race of three vying for North Carolina Auditor.
Three candidates are competing in the 2024 North Carolina Auditor race on November 5: incumbent Jessica Holmes (D), Dave Boliek (R), and Bob Drach (L). The State Auditor oversees financial and performance audits to ensure the proper use of tax dollars.
Holmes, appointed in 2023 after Beth Wood’s resignation, is running for the first time. She emphasizes accountability and transparency in her campaign.
Boliek, with a background in law and a member of the UNC Board of Trustees, identifies as a conservative and advocates for such policies.
Drach, running as an independent, focuses on maintaining staff excellence, continuing investigations, updating technology and emphasizing his nonpartisan stance for the role.
<BOLD>North Carolina Treasurer<BOLD>
Potential NC Treasurer Wesley Harris says he is passionate abut investing wisely for the state.
Wesley Harris (D) and Brad Briner (R) are running for state treasurer. North Carolina’s treasurer is the state’s chief financial officer, official banker and a member of the Council of State.
The treasurer works to manage the state’s pension and healthcare plans, investments and unclaimed property, as well as provides financial support to local governments.
Before holding public office, Harris earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a graduate degree and a Ph.D. from Clemson University. Now, Harris serves as a representative in the state house and has previously worked as an economist and professor.
“As a PhD economist with a specialization in Public Finance, making sure our State’s finances are in impeccable shape so that we can make the investments we need is definitely what I am most passionate about,” Harris said in a question and answer style interview. “[I will] invest more of our pension plan to boost returns instead of holding cash, negotiate with health care providers for lower costs by promoting more preventative care, and focus on the financial aspects of a local government’s investments instead of my political leanings.”
Briner is a board member at UNC-Chapel Hill. He also serves as an investment manager and previously worked as a chief investment officer for Willet Advisors. Harris has said he wants to maintain the singular fiduciary plan and eliminating it would give more power to the legislature, which he does not support. On the website ballotpedia he said, “It’s about accountability. This is a position that is elected by the people … so the people get the say.”
