Prominent candidates for Governor, Congress, Council of State join the fray

This piece was originally published by NC Newsline

Major news on the filing front Tuesday is that Republican U.S. Rep. Patrick McHenry (NC-10) is not running for reelection.

McHenry announced he will retire after 10 terms that included three weeks earlier this year as temporary House Speaker after Rep. Kevin McCarthy was kicked out of the job. Rep. Patrick McHenry

“There is a season for everything and — for me — this season has come to an end.”

That leaves an open seat likely to elect a Republican.

And no sooner did McHenry make his decision public than Pat Harrigan, the owner of an arms manufacturing firm who originally announced that he was running in the 14th, flipped to a run for the 10th district.

That clears a path for state House Speaker Tim Moore who would have had to run against Harrigan in the Republican primary in the 14th district.

Flanked by supporters from the legislature, Moore filed his paperwork Tuesday at the State Fairgrounds making his congressional bid official.

U.S. Rep. Virginia Foxx, who told reporters to “shut up” during the House Speaker’s press conference in October, has filed for reelection.

The 80-year-old Foxx has pledged to continue “standing up to big-government leftists.”

Chuck Hubbard (D), a local journalist in Wilkes County, has filed his paperwork in hopes of sending Foxx home, in a district (NC-05) that she has represented since 2005.

Former North Carolina Supreme Court Justice Mike Morgan filed Tuesday to run for governor in the Democratic primary. Democratic Attorney General Josh Stein is running but has not yet filed the paperwork.

Morgan was a judge or justice for 34 years and he said that experience gives him a “unique skill set” that he will bring to the governor’s office. “I’m running because I want to restore the hopes and dreams of all North Carolinians, because for so many those hopes and dreams have been dashed,” Morgan told reporters after he filed candidacy paperwork. Former NC Supreme Court Justice Mike Morgan, a Democrat running for governor, files candidacy paperwork. (Photo: Lynn Bonner)

Morgan was not the first Democrat to file. Chrelle Booker, mayor pro tem of the town of Tryon in Polk County, filed on Monday. Booker ran for U.S. Senate in 2022, finishing with less than 2 percent of the vote in the Democratic primary.

Council of State races for 2024 are beginning to shape up, with incumbent Secretary of State Elaine Marshall (D) filing for another term in office. Fun fact: Marshall became the first woman ever elected to a statewide, executive branch office in North Carolina in 1996.

Jesse Thomas (R) of Cary suspended his gubernatorial aspirations in early November for a chance to take on Marshall. Thomas is a retired health plan CEO for Blue Cross Blue Shield of NC.

State Commissioner of Insurance Mike Causey has also filed for reelection. Causey, a Republican, used his announcement to take a dig at legislative leaders in his own party and the insurance giant, Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina.

“I do not believe it is in the best interests of our consumers and citizens to roll over when the Legislature or some big insurance company wants something changed — especially when it comes from policy holder money,” said Causey.

Causey had sharp words throughout the session for a bill that (House Bill 346) allowed nonprofit Blue Cross NC to act more like a for-profit insurance company.

Representative Wesley Harris (D-Mecklenburg) has served three terms in the state House and is looking for a new challenge.

The Charlotte economist has filed to run for state treasurer. Current Treasurer Dale Folwell (R) has his sights set on the governor’s mansion.

Steve Troxler, who has served as Commissioner of Agriculture since 2005, has filed for reelection to continue the role of promoting North Carolina’s $92 billion agribusiness economy.

Fayetteville native and Democrat Tim Dunn became the first candidate to file for attorney general. Dunn is a former Marine and attorney who now “limits his law practice to representing juveniles facing criminal charges, and he represents Veterans, Active-duty, and Law Enforcement Officers in restoring their Second Amendment rights.”

Rep. Jeff Jackson (D) and Rep. Dan Bishop (R) are also expected to file for attorney general as they depart Congress along with current Democratic Durham County District Attorney Satana Deberry.

Two Democrats and one Republican have already filed for what’s expected to be a crowded field for North Carolina’s next lieutenant governor. State Sen. Rachel Hunt and former state Sen. Ben Clark are running in the Democratic primary for lieutenant governor. Republican Rivera Douthit, a minister from Matthews, is also seeking the seat.

Rep. Marvin Lucas, a Democratic lawmaker who has represented Cumberland County in the state House for more than two decades, has decided to follow Rep. Rosa Gill’s lead and not run for reelection. Lucas telling the Raleigh News & Observer “the time is right.”

Rep. Pricey Harrison (D-Guilford), a champion of North Carolina’s environment, is seeking another two years in office. In an environmentally friendly filing, she rode her bike to submit the paperwork for her candidacy.

And finally, if you thought the opening day of the candidate filing season was a busy one, you would be correct!

Western Carolina University political scientist Chris Cooper crunched the numbers noting that Monday saw nearly 700 candidates register to run in the 2024 elections.

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