Dan Blue III
Daniel Blue III was a Democratic candidate for treasurer of North Carolina in the 2016 elections. He won the Democratic nomination in the March 15 primary election. He was defeated in the general election on November 8, 2016.
Biography
Blue is the son of state Senator Dan Blue Jr.. An attorney and former investment banker, Blue and his wife, Traci, have two children.[1]
Education
- B.S. in biomedical engineering, Duke University
- J.D., Duke University
- M.B.A., Duke University[1]
Elections
2016
- See also: North Carolina Treasurer election, 2016
Blue filed on December 2, 2015, to run as a Democratic candidate for North Carolina state treasurer in the 2016 election.[2] Blue defeated Ron Elmer in the March 15 Democratic primary. He competed with Republican state Rep. Dale Folwell, who was unopposed for his party's nomination, in the November 8 general election.
Dale Folwell defeated Dan Blue III in the North Carolina treasurer election.
| North Carolina Treasurer, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican |  Dale Folwell |
52.75% | 2,348,938 | |
| Democratic | Dan Blue III | 47.25% | 2,104,114 | |
| Total Votes | 4,453,052 | |||
| Source: ABC11 | ||||
| North Carolina Treasurer Democratic Primary, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | ||
| Dan Blue III |
58.4% | 553,459 | ||
| Ron Elmer | 41.6% | 393,834 | ||
| Total Votes | 947,293 | |||
| Election results via North Carolina State Board of Elections. | ||||
Primary race
Elmer and Blue differed on how to manage the state's pension fund, which had weakened significantly over the past 15 years.[3] Elmer wanted to eliminate outside managers and bring control of the fund back into the treasurer's office, while Blue cautioned against a sweeping change, stating that the government "owe[s] a fiduciary obligation to the retirees to find the best managers they can find."[4]
Elmer criticized Blue for his career on Wall Street and for holding a fundraiser in New York City, denouncing the move as a "quick pay-out."[4][3] Blue countered that his career experience on Wall Street in fact makes him particularly "suitable for this wonky position."[4]
Blue reported significantly more funds than Elmer at the end of February. Just prior to the primary election, Blue had $103,961 in cash on hand compared to $2,295 for Elmer.[5][5]
| Key endorsements, Democratic primary election[6][3] | |
|---|---|
| Dan Blue III (D) | Ron Elmer (D) |
| Winston-Salem Journal | Forbes |
| Indy Week | State Employees Association of North Carolina |
| Incumbent Treasurer Janet Cowell | The Charlotte Observer |
| North Carolina Association of Educators | |
| Equality North Carolina | |
Campaign themes
2016
Blue's campaign website included the following statement:
| “ | He believes in fiscally responsible leadership that respects and protects the public employees, taxpayers and communities throughout the state. Dan has the breadth and depth of experience to successfully lead the Treasurer’s office across its critical functions, including managing its retirement system, administering the state health care plan, protecting North Carolina’s AAA credit rating through good state and local governance, and promoting the financial well-being of North Carolina’s working families.[7][8] | ” |
Recent news
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See also
| North Carolina | State Executive Elections | News and Analysis |
|---|---|---|
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Dan Blue III for North Carolina, "About Dan Blue III," accessed April 10, 2016
- ↑ Stanly Board of Elections, "Candidate Detail List," December 15, 2015
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Forbes, "North Carolina Finally Has A Good Choice For State Treasurer," March 1, 2016
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 The Charlotte Observer, "Democrats running for NC treasurer differ on changes to state pension," March 2, 2016
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 NCSBE.gov, "Political Committee Disclosure Report," accessed March 10, 2016 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; name "NCSBE" defined multiple times with different content - ↑ Blue for North Carolina, "News & Headlines," accessed March 9, 2016
- ↑ Blue, "About Dan Blue III," accessed September 23, 2016
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
