U.S. Rep Dan Bishop says he'll run for NC attorney general
One of North Carolina’s most conservative congressmen will forgo a shot at reelection in the U.S. House to instead try to become the state’s top prosecutor.
U.S. Rep. Dan Bishop, R-NC, will launch a campaign to become North Carolina’s attorney general in the 2024 election, he told Charlotte radio station WBT Thursday. Bishop appeared on the station to confirm previous WBT reporting and tease a formal announcement, which could come as soon as Friday.
“The decision-making was about whether this particular opportunity to serve as attorney general was the right thing for me, or should I seek to retain the seat in Congress? And the answer is the former,” Bishop told WBT.
Representatives for Bishop didn’t immediately respond to WRAL News questions about the announcement.
Bishop’s name recognition — he has been endorsed in the past by former President Donald Trump — and ties to major conservative donors make him a likely front-runner in the Republican primary. He is poised to face former state legislator Tom Murry in the GOP primary, though others might still enter the race. Democrat Josh Stein, who currently holds the position, isn't seeking reelection. He's running for governor instead.
Bishop, who is a lawyer, former county commissioner and former state legislator, said he misses practicing law more regularly, and sees the post as a way to counter an encroaching federal government and to buttress law enforcement during a time of increasing violence.
“Over the course of many months we've decided this is the right thing for me to do, to come back to North Carolina,” Bishop told WBT. “I think there’s an opportunity to use the influence of that office to restore law and order to our cities.”
In his interview with WBT, Bishop cited the close 2020 race as evidence that the attorney general seat is within grasp of Republicans.
Stein edged out Republican Jim O’Neill by less than 1 percentage point despite spending significantly more on the race than O’Neill, Bishop said. Bishop’s campaign will be much more competitive financially, he said.
“We are going to be able to demonstrate very significant support within the first 10 days,” Bishop said on WBT.
Shortly after Bishop spoke to WBT, an influential financier of conservative political candidates announced its support for him. Club For Growth, a network of political action committees that has funded Republican candidates such as U.S Sen. Ted Budd, said it was endorsing Bishop in the attorney general race.
“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.”
It’s unclear who will seek Bishop’s open congressional seat. The state's congressional boundaries will be reworked when the Republican-controlled General Assembly conducts redistricting this fall. A state Supreme Court ruling in April opens the door for boundaries that could give GOP candidates a solid chance to win at least 10 of the 14 seats.
On the other side of the ticket in the state attorney general race, Tim Dunn of Cumberland County and Charles Ingram of Duplin County are running in the Democratic primary. U.S. Rep. Jeff Jackson, D-NC, has been considered a possible candidate as well.
On Thursday, Jackson told WRAL he was waiting to see what will happen with Bishop’s congressional district. He also called out Jackson for his votes against certifying President Joe Biden's 2020 victories in Arizona and Pennsylvania.
"I've decided to wait until the new maps come out before I really consider that, but I heard [Bishop] say he's running to re-establish law and order and I just think that's a tough sell coming from someone who supported overturning an election,” Jackson said, adding: “That's the opposite of law and order.”
Bishop’s entry to the race could scare off other Republicans who might’ve considered running for the same position, said Chris Cooper, a political science and public affairs professor at Western Carolina University.
“Bishop already had name recognition, an enviable resume, and conservative bona fides,” Cooper said. “Now he's got an endorsement from the most important conservative PAC around — and an endorsement from a group with deep pockets. Hard to imagine a better combination for a Council of State primary race.”
Leaving Washington
Bishop has represented a congressional district just east of Charlotte since winning a special election in 2019.
In Washington, Bishop positioned himself to the right of House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, pushing back at the House leadership team for the debt ceiling and budget deal the speaker reached with President Joe Biden. Bishop was among those who showed their frustration with McCarthy by putting up procedural blockades to conducting House business and advancing GOP bills.
As a state legislator from 2014 to 2019, Bishop built a reputation as one of North Carolina’s most conservative lawmakers — helping write the controversial HB2 law in 2016 that limited bathroom use of transgender people.
The law yielded political and economic consequences for North Carolina. Businesses and sports organizations viewed the law as needlessly discriminatory, leading them to cancel events and planned expansions in the state. Former Gov. Pat McCrory, who signed the law, then lost his reelection bid to Democrat Roy Cooper, and state lawmakers went on to repeal HB2 in 2017.
Bishop carried his hardline positions with him to Washington, D.C., becoming one of the most vocal members of the conservative House Freedom Caucus. Earlier this year, Bishop was among several House Republicans who withheld their support for Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif, until he agreed to reforms sought by the caucus, including adding more conservative voices to key committees.
On Thursday, Bishop said supporters have asked him whether he considers the attorney general seat to be a step down, professionally. He said no, because the position can play a key role in high-profile political fights.
“It’s an enormously influential post,” Bishop told WBT. “Attorneys general have sort of evolved over the last 20 years and many of the policy fights we fight out are attorneys general bringing litigation to contain the federal bureaucracy from overreach.”
Along with the presidential and gubernatorial races, the race for attorney general is expected to be the most closely-watched statewide contests. Unlike the last presidential election in 2020, North Carolina ballots won't feature a U.S. Senate race.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
