The list of candidates filing for the 2024 primary election in North Carolina continues to grow after the filing period opened on Monday, Dec. 4. As of Dec. 7 at 6:30 pm, several of the announced candidates expected to run for high-profile offices in 2024 have yet to file. In addition to local and county races, the following candidates for Congress and statewide offices have filed to be on the ballot:
Congressional
In breaking news Friday morning, North Carolina Rep. John Bradford filed to run in North Carolina’s 8th Congressional District. He’d initially announced his intention to run for state treasurer.
In the First Congressional District, Republicans Sandy Smith and Laurie Buckhout have filed for the Republican primary. In the Second Congressional District, Republican Eugene F. Douglass has filed to run. Republican Congresswoman Virginia Foxx has filed for re-election in the Fifth Congressional District, which she’s represented since 2005. Democrat Chuck Hubbard has filed to run against her.
Former Republican Congressman Mark Walker filed on Thursday to run in the Sixth Congressional District, an area he represented in Congress from 2015 to 2021. So far he is facing Bo Hines who registered for the NC-06 Republican primary this week. The current Democrat incumbent in that seat, Rep. Kathy Manning, announced on Thursday that she would not be running for re-election. Walker had been a Republican candidate for governor before switching races.
Incumbent David Rouzer, R-NC07, filed to run again, as did incumbent Rep. Richard Hudson, R-NC09. In the 10th Congressional District, incumbent Rep. Patrick McHenry announced this week that he will not seek re-election. Shortly after, Republican Pat Harrigan, who had won the 14th Congressional District primary last cycle, filed to run in NC-10 and will face a primary with Republican Diana Jimison.
Incumbent Rep. Chuck Edwards, R-NC11, also filed for re-election and faces a primary opponent in Republican Christian Reagan.
Incumbent Rep. Alma Adams, D-NC12, has filed for re-election, a district she’s represented since 2014.
In the 13th Congressional District, seven Republicans have filed to run: Josh McConkey, Chris Baker, Eric Stevenson, Kenny Xu, Brad Knott, Fred Von Canon, and Siddhanth Sharma. The district is currently represented by Democrat Rep. Wiley Nickel, who defeated Hines for the seat in 2022 and announced he would not seek re-election. No Democrat has filed for that race so far.
In the closely-watched 14th Congressional District fourteen, House Speaker Tim Moore, a Republican, made it official by registering to run for Congress. Democrat Pam Genant will face Moore in that race if both make it to the general.
council of state
Filing to run for governor so far in the Democratic primary are Chrelle Booker, former State Supreme Court Judge Mike Morgan, and Marcus Williams.
Republican Lt. Gov Mark Robinson released a press announcement this week that he would be filing to run for governor on Thursday afternoon but was a no-show. Trailing Robinson in the polls, current State Treasurer Dale Folwell filed Thursday for the Republican primary for governor.
“I think people are starting to get serious about this campaign after the first of the year,” Folwell said. “As I said earlier, they are exhausted, and they’re angry, and they’re hungry for someone who just speaks to them like adults, and what they hear makes common sense at the end of the day. For most of the last 20 years, the voters of this state, generally speaking, have voted against someone. I’m going to give them an opportunity to vote for someone.”
For lieutenant governor in the Democrat’s primary, state Sens. Ben Clark of Cumberland County and Rachel Hunt of Mecklenburg County have filed. On the Republican side, former state Sen. Deanna Ballard, NC House Rep. Jeffrey Elmore of Wilkes County, and newcomer Rivera Douthit will face off in a primary.
In North Carolina’s attorney general’s race, Tim Dunn has registered for the Democratic primary.
Democrat Jessica Holmes, whom Gov. Roy Cooper selected to fill the position of state auditor when current State Auditor Beth Wood steps down on Dec. 15, filed the paperwork to run for the position. Bob Drach, a Libertarian, has also filed to run for state auditor. In the Republican primary for auditor, Charles Dingee, Jack Clark, and Jim Kee have filed.
In other Council of State races, Republican incumbent Commissioner of Agriculture Steve Troxler has filed for re-election. Democrat Sarah Taber has filed to challenge him.
Incumbent Commissioner of Insurance Mike Causey filed for re-election and faces a primary challenger in former state Rep. Robert Brawley. David Wheeler has filed to run for commissioner of insurance on the Democratic side.
A trio of Republicans, including Luke Farley, Travis Wilson, and current state Rep. Jon Hardister, have filed their intent for the commissioner of labor post. Former Charlotte City Council member and Mayor Pro Tem Braxton Winston is running on the Democratic side.
Incumbent Democrat Secretary of State Elaine Marshall has filed to run for re-election. Republican Jesse Thomas, who was running in the governor’s race, is running for secretary of state in a primary with Chad Brown and Christine Villaverde. Villaverde squared off against Democratic US Rep. Deborah Ross in 2022 and lost. She was set to run in the NC-01 congressional race but switched to run in the secretary of state race.
Current state Rep. Wesley Harris, D-Mecklenburg, has filed to run for North Carolina treasurer. For superintendent of public instruction, C.R. Eddings, has filed on the Democratic ticket.
North Carolina judicial races
For the North Carolina Supreme Court sixth seat, Judge Allison Riggs, who was appointed in September to fill former state Supreme Court Justice Mike Morgan’s seat when he left to run for governor, has declared her intent to run in the Democratic primary facing current Superior Court Judge Lora Cubbage. Jefferson Griffin filed for the race on the Republican side.
North Carolina Court of Appeals 12th seat judge, Carolyn Jennings Thompson, whom Cooper appointed to fill the vacancy left by Riggs when she went to the state supreme court, has filed to run for the position on the Democratic side.
Former state Rep. Tom Murry, a Republican, has filed to run against Jennings Thompson. Murry dropped out of the attorney general’s race after US Rep. Dan Bishop announced his plans to run for the position.
For the 14th seat of the Court of Appeals, Democrat Ed Eldred has filed to challenge incumbent Republican Judge Valerie Zachary.
The 15th seat of the Court of Appeals has Buncombe County Commissioner Martin Moore filing on the Democratic side, and incumbent Judge Hunter Murphy will face District Court Judge Chris Freeman in a Republican primary.
state legislature
All seats in the North Carolina General Assembly are on the ballot in 2024, and many incumbents have registered to run again. The North Carolina State Board of Elections keeps a running list on the state website. Among the legislative candidates is Senate Leader Phil Berger, R-Rockingham, who filed for re-election Thursday to represent Rockingham and Guilford counties.
“Since Republicans earned the majority in the General Assembly in 2011, our state has undergone a remarkable transformation,” Berger said in a press release. “Democrats had mismanaged the state and put us on the brink of disaster. Now, we are a state that is prospering and seeing unprecedented growth. Our work is not done, and I look forward to continuing to serve the people of Rockingham and Guilford counties in the Senate.”
Candidate filing closes at noon on Dec. 15, 2023, with the primary election scheduled for March 5, 2024, and the general election on Nov. 5, 2024.