Summary
Current Position: Lt. Governor
Affiliation: Democrat
Candidate: 2020 Governor
In office, Dan has continually advocated for policies that drive economic growth, create jobs and spur innovation. He has become a leader in the school choice movement as a way to help children succeed regardless of their ZIP code.
Dan also spearheaded an initiative to connect every classroom in North Carolina with high-speed internet, and championed a bill to preserve free speech rights on public college campuses — the first bill of its kind in the United States.
Source: Campaign page
OnAir Post: Dan Forest
About
Web
Government Page, Campaign Site, Twitter, YouTube, Facebook
Politics
Source: none
Issues
Civil Rights
Dan Forest believes the Second Amendment secures all the rights enshrined in our Constitution. He stands with the North Carolina counties that are affirming our right to keep and bear arms.
When he is Governor, this right will never be in jeopardy in our state.
Dan Forest is proudly endorsed by:
- NRA
- Gun Owners of America
- Grassroots North Carolina
Dan Forest believes that the First Amendment protections of speech, press, religion, assembly, and petition are key to making America great.
He championed a law that extends this commitment to college campuses in our state, ensuring that all students are free to speak their minds without fear of violence or retribution.
Economy
As Governor, Dan Forest will rebuild our economy, retrain our workforce for the new economy, launch an aggressive apprenticeship initiative, recruit high-paying industries to North Carolina, and put our people back to work.
With more than 1 million North Carolinians out of a job, we need to quickly get our state back to work and repair the damage to our economy. Every hard-working North Carolinian that wants a good job should be able to find one. Repairing livelihoods is critical to the health of our state.
We need to make sure that all parts of our state have the infrastructure needed to land job opportunities and that people have the training and skills needed to fill them. North Carolina needs a long-term vision to move forward, a plan to achieve this vision, and a new team of leaders to make it happen.
Education
For too long, our education system has prioritized the system over the student. Parents know their children better than the government and they know what type of education is best for them. Every child deserves an excellent education regardless of what ZIP code they live in.
Using technology, our schools need to move toward mastery-based learning where students are equipped with customized curriculum and are allowed to move faster or slower depending on their learning style and ability.
Right now, our schools must be open. Virtual school plans don’t work for parents with jobs. As Governor, I will ensure every family has the option to send their child to the classroom full-time.
Our schools also must be secured. Today, roughly half of North Carolina schools are without school resource officers. As Governor, I will put an armed security officer in every school.
Dan Forest has championed higher teacher pay since elected. The Republican General Assembly has done a great job providing raises over the past six years and will continue to do so. No other state in the country has addressed teacher pay six years in a row. Average teacher pay in NC is now $58,000 and the average compensation is $78,000. Another pay raise was in the budget that the Governor wouldn’t sign.
Health Care
As Governor, Dan Forest will focus on providing better healthcare access for patients by incentivizing doctors to practice in our rural communities. He’ll work with the General Assembly and the State Treasurer to ensure more price transparency so citizens know how much prescription drugs and vital health services cost. And he’ll fight to get those left in the coverage gap created by the Affordable Care Act on affordable private insurance.
Immigration
There is a distinct difference between immigration and illegal immigration. We need a system in place that makes it easier for legal immigrants, and businesses in need of workers, to navigate a guest worker program. A nation that can’t protect its borders isn’t much of a nation at all. In North Carolina, a handful of Democrat sheriffs are allowing dangerous, criminal, unlawful illegal aliens to be released back into our communities — putting our families in danger.
As Governor, Dan Forest will uphold the law and work with our law enforcement to keep you and your family safe.
Safety
The government’s first priority should be the security of the people. We are watching murder rates climb in our major metropolitan areas. We must keep violent criminals off our streets and behind bars where they belong.
Local sheriffs should be cooperating with federal agencies like ICE to keep violent, illegal criminals from being arbitrarily released back into our communities.
Recently, our state has been hit by riots in our urban areas. Our police officers need to be able to do their jobs and protect vulnerable citizens and neighborhoods. When these acts of violence happen, it is always the low-income neighborhoods that suffer the most. As Governor, I will not hesitate to activate the National Guard to protect lives, livelihoods, and communities.
Dan Forest is a leader in our state’s fight against human trafficking. As Lt. Governor, he championed legislation that protects vulnerable women and children and gives harsher penalties to those guilty of engaging in human trafficking. This legislation:
- Quadrupled jail time for convicted traffickers.
- Provided training to health care workers to identify victims.
- Expanded the jurisdiction of the SBI in trafficking cases.
- Required the posting of human trafficking awareness signs in public places to display the national hotline.
As Governor, Dan will continue to build on these achievements to ensure our women and children are kept safe.
Social Security
Protect the Elderly in Nursing Homes
North Carolina’s nursing home residents make up less than 1% of our state’s population, but more than 50% of the deaths from COVID-19. This simply didn’t have to happen. While other states took extraordinary steps to help this vulnerable population, Gov. Cooper did nothing to protect them. As Governor, Dan Forest will put the health and safety of our most vulnerable first. Instead of rushing to close bars, gyms, and restaurants, he put our efforts where they will matter most.
Defending Life
Dan Forest believes we have a human dignity problem in America. He believes in the dignity of all life — the newborn, the unborn, the elderly, the orphaned, and the disabled. He is proud to be pro-life, affirming that all people are created in the image of God and all people deserve the same protection.
Dan Forest is proudly endorsed by:
- National Right to Life
- Susan B. Anthony List
- FRC Action
- NC Values Coalition
