It’s Official: Dan Forest Launches 2020 Campaign for Governor

RALEIGH – What has seemed a surety for years now is finally confirmed: Current Republican Lieutenant Governor Dan Forest has officially kicked off his 2020 campaign for governor. It’s been a long time coming, from assumptions to exploratory committees, but Forest is now a bona fide 2020 candidate seeking to lead North Carolina in strong stands against threats to core values like abortion and socialism.

At a rally in Winston-Salem Saturday, Forest pledged to lead an uplifting campaign of ‘unity, opportunity, and possibility.’

‘Unity’, Forest said, means lifting people up and embracing shared North Carolina values like hard work, family and human dignity. “It also means rejecting identity politics that seek to divide people and inflame public discourse.”

‘Opportunity’ focuses on education and the economy. “Educational opportunity starts with putting students first, from offering families the ability to choose the school environment that works for them to empowering excellent teachers and principals within a nimble educational system.”

Economic opportunity begins with recognizing that capitalism, despite its flaws, is the best engine for alleviating poverty and creating prosperity, Forest said. He emphasized continuing to build a stronger tax system and investing in the state’s infrastructure.

‘Possibility’ means escaping the trap of fighting yesterday’s battles and instead setting a vision for the future, Forest said. “That includes putting together the right team to pursue burgeoning industries like aerospace for North Carolina.”

Forest also used Saturday’s rally to make a pledge to the state of North Carolina as he starts his campaign. His promises include:

• Appealing to aspirations, not fears.
• Travel to all 100 counties.
• Communicating directly to the people.
• Refusing to engage in divisive, negative campaigning or character assassination.

With Forest’s campaign launch, he becomes the second Republican in the race. State lawmaker Holly Grange (R-New Hanover) announced her candidacy last month.

The Forest campaign followed their launch with the airing of their first statewide TV ad on Monday.

While Forest has the intention (and the likely the integrity) to wage a clean campaign, his opponents have made no such pledge.

In fact, Cooper and the Leftist press have already pegged Forest as a bible-thumping bigot for his support of notorious House Bill 2 and imply he’s a racist for opposing Medicaid expansion and supporting Voter ID. The script the Left will use on Forest won’t be anything new; rather it will be the same tired, rehashed smear jobs designed to obscure substance and advance their own narrative.

Perhaps Forest’s approach will be able to cut through that onslaught, and voters could find it refreshing in this Age of Rage. Forest, for one, can definitely articulate substantive positions on the issues we face, and those positions likely resonate with more of North Carolina than the far leftward lurch of Cooper and the N.C. Democratic Party.

You can visit the Forest campaign website here.