U.S. Rep. Dan Bishop launches campaign for NC attorney general
U.S. Rep. Dan Bishop officially launched a campaign for North Carolina attorney general, a day after revealing that he had decided to do so.
“It really is quite simple: North Carolinians are tired of tired of feckless Attorneys General who pick and choose which laws they enforce and substitute their personal opinions for the substance of our constitution,” Bishop said in a statement. “As the state’s chief law enforcement officer, I will be a tireless backer of our state’s prosecutors and law enforcement officers. I will prioritize protecting the public and keeping criminals behind bars. And I will relentlessly protect the God-given freedoms and rights granted to you in our constitution.”
Bishop, who has represented a congressional district near Charlotte since 2019, said he wants to be the first Republican elected to the office in more than a century. Some Republican candidates have come close: Jim O’Neill lost to Democrat Josh Stein by less than 1 percentage point in 2020. Stein isn’t running again, opting instead to run for governor.
O’Neill, the Forsyth County District Attorney, didn’t have the name recognition or financial support that Bishop says he’ll build to help the GOP end its long losing streak.
Bishop’s announcement comes a day after he told Charlotte radio station WBT that he planned to run. Shortly after his radio appearance Thursday, the conservative and influential Club For Growth PAC announced its intention to aid Bishop’s run.
“Congressman Bishop is a strong supporter of free markets, school choice, and is a leading voice in the U.S. House of Representatives pushing back against the Biden Administration’s radical agenda,” David McIntosh, the Club for Growth PAC President, said in a statement. “We look forward to providing the necessary support to ensure Bishop becomes North Carolina’s next attorney general.”
The group’s support could be significant. Club For Growth and its allied political action groups spent more than $14 million to help former U.S. Rep. Ted Budd win North Carolina’s U.S. Senate race last year.
Bishop is poised to face former state legislator Tom Murry in the GOP primary, though others might still enter the race. Tim Dunn of Cumberland County and Charles Ingram of Duplin County are running in the Democratic primary.
