Dan Forest
Dan Forest is an American politician serving as the 34th and current Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina since 2013. An architect by trade, he is the Republican nominee for Governor of North Carolina in the 2020 election.
Early life and education
Forest was born in Harrisonburg, Virginia and grew up in Charlotte, North Carolina. His mother, Sue Myrick, was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, who represented a Charlotte-based congressional district from 1995 to 2013. Forest received a bachelor's degree and a master's degree in architecture from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. An architect, Forest was a senior partner at an architectural firm in Charlotte before being elected lieutenant governor.Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina (2013-present)
2012 election and 2016 re-election
In 2012, in his first run for office, Forest placed first in a five-way May primary election, with 32.98% of the vote; Wake County commissioner Tony Gurley received 24.83% of the vote, Speaker Pro Tempore of the North Carolina House of Representatives Dale Folwell received 24.25% of the vote; state representative Grey Mills received 14.67% of the vote, and Arthur Jason Rich received 3.28% of the vote. Forest and Gurley advanced to the July 2012 second primary, in which Forest secured the Republican nomination, defeating Gurley 67.87%-32.13%.In the November 2012 general election, Forest defeated the Democratic nominee, former state representative Linda Coleman, by an extremely small margin—Forest received 2,187,728 votes to Coleman's 2,180,870. Coleman opted not to seek a recount, although the margin was small enough for her to be entitled to one. He was sworn in on January 7, 2013.
In a November 2016 re-match against Coleman, Forest was re-elected lieutenant governor, receiving 2,393,514 votes to Coleman's 2,093,375 votes ; Libertarian Party candidate Jacki Cole received 132,645. His second term began on January 1, 2017.
Tenure in office
As lieutenant governor, Forest is the state's second-highest elected official and the president of the North Carolina Senate, as well as a member of the Council of State. Forest began a one-year term as the chairman of the Republican Lieutenant Governors Association in 2018.Aligned with the conservative Christian wing of the North Carolina Republican Party, Forest has emphasized his socially conservative views. He was a strong supporter of North Carolina's controversial H.B. 2, state legislation that overrode an ordinance passed by the City of Charlotte that extended the protection of anti-discrimination laws to LGBT persons. Forest was also a leading supporter of proposals to adopt a state "religious freedom restoration" act, a controversial bill on religion. Forest supports the elimination of income tax and its replacement by a "consumption tax."
As lieutenant governor, Forest appeared with Trump at a rally in 2016, at which Forest praised Trump. In a 2018 speech to the conservative think tank Civitas, Forest asserted that political issues such as climate change and gun control "really is the religion of the left" and that "the left...don't have a hope in God. They have no hope in a higher power." Forest's remarks were criticized by Democrats; state senators Paul Lowe Jr. and Mike Woodard said that the comments "only serve to insult, belittle and divide people of faith, no matter their political beliefs." In a June 2019 speech to a church, Forest stated that no nation "has survived the diversity and multiculturalism that America faces today"; the remark prompted criticism.
2020 North Carolina gubernatorial election
In January 2019, Forest announced the formation of an exploratory committee to run for governor to challenge incumbent Democratic governor Roy Cooper in 2020. At the outset, Representative Mark Meadows, Chair of the House Freedom Caucus, indicated his support for Forest. In August 2019, Forest formally launched his campaign. In announcing his run, Forest denounced "socialism" and highlighted his strongly anti-abortion views. During his campaign, Forest also called for an expanded state-funded school voucher program for which all North Carolinians, irrespective of income, would be eligible, making this proposal a centerpiece of his campaign.Forest failed to report a 2017 in-kind political contribution from insurance executive Greg Lindberg, a political donor who in 2019 was indicted on conspiracy and bribery charges. After the News & Observer reported on that matter, Forest's campaign amended its previous campaign finance reports to add $3,761 for food and beverage provided by Lindberg at a fundraiser for Forest hosted by Lindberg. Forest's campaign described the omission as a "bookkeeping error."
In the Republican primary election in March 2020, Forest won the party's nomination, defeating state Representative Holly Grange of New Hanover by a broad margin. Cooper and Forest will face off in the November election.
Although the race for governor in North Carolina will occur in an important swing state, attention to the campaign was largely overshadowed by the 2020 coronavirus pandemic. In late March 2020, Cooper issued a stay-at-home directive and ordered the temporary closure of nonessential businesses to control the spread of the virus, beginning a phased, multi-step reopening in early May 2020 tied to benchmarks. By contrast, Forest suggested that the dangers of the virus to most Americans had been exaggerated and echoed "Liberate" protesters. In mid-March 2020, Forest opposed Cooper's closure of bars and restriction of restaurants to take-out and delivery only, and in mid-April, Forest called for the immediate reopening of public places with non-binding guidance from state government. Forest incorrectly claimed that influenza had killed more North Carolinians in 2020 than the coronavirus.
In April, the Forest campaign team disclosed they had given nearly $200,000 from his gubernatorial campaign fund to people and businesses across the state that needed assistance due to the economic downturn caused by COVID-19. Forest also asserted that COVID-19-related restrictions were a deliberate plot by "the left" to attack Christianity. During the pandemic, Forest met in close contact with others without wearing a face mask, in contravention of social distancing guidelines; he dismissed criticism as "ludicrous" and "stupid leftist talk." In June 2020, Forest announced that he was suing Cooper over his coronavirus executive orders, alleging that the governor could not issue the directives without the concurrence of the Council of State.