North Carolina lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2024

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North Carolina Lieutenant Governor
	Democratic primary; Republican primary; Republican primary runoff; General election;
Election details
	Filing deadline: December 15, 2023
	Primary: March 5, 2024; Primary runoff: May 14, 2024; General: November 5, 2024; Pre-election incumbent(s):; Mark Robinson (R)
How to vote
	Poll times: 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.; Voting in North Carolina
Ballotpedia analysis
	Federal and state primary competitiveness; State executive elections in 2024; Impact of term limits in 2024; State government trifectas; State government triplexes; Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2024
North Carolina; executive elections
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North Carolina 2024 elections

U.S. House • Governor • Lt. Gov • Attorney General • Secretary of State • State executive offices • State Senate • State House • Supreme court • Appellate courts • State ballot measures • Local ballot measures • School boards • Municipal • All other local • How to run for office

Rachel Hunt (D), Hal Weatherman (R), Wayne Jones (Constitution Party), and Shannon Bray (L) ran in the general election for lieutenant governor of North Carolina on November 5, 2024. Incumbent Mark Robinson (R) ran for governor, leaving the lieutenant governor's seat open.

North Carolina's governor and lieutenant governor are elected separately and can belong to different parties. Heading into the 2024 election, Gov. Roy Cooper was a Democrat, and Lt. Gov. Robinson was a Republican. The governorship was also up for election in 2024, and the seat was open. Cooper was ineligible to run due to term limits.

The Raleigh News & Observer's Dawn Baumgartner Vaughan wrote, "If the lieutenant governor is from a different party, they are less likely to have any official events with the governor aside from monthly Council of State meetings. Those include the eight other statewide office holders, too. ... The job of the lieutenant governor doesn’t come with much power or control, but one important role is to preside over the state Senate as the Senate president. The LG only votes to break a tie, however."^[1] The lieutenant governor is also acting governor when the governor is out of state and is first in the gubernatorial line of succession.^[1]

Hunt was an attorney, was a state representative, and was a state senator at the time of the 2024 election.^[2] Her campaign website stated, "Rachel Hunt’s priorities are investing in our public schools, expanding access to health care, and helping our local businesses thrive."^[3]

Weatherman was the chief of staff for former Lt. Gov. Dan Forest (R) and former U.S. Rep. Sue Myrick (R).^[2] Weatherman said on his campaign website, "My primary goal in seeking the office of Lt. Governor is to use the authority of the office to fundamentally remove the stigma our society has placed on working in the trades."^[4]

At the time of the 2024 election, North Carolina had had a Republican lieutenant governor since 2012. The most recent Democrat to hold the seat was Walter Dalton, elected in 2008.

For more information about the primaries in this election, click on the links below:

For information about the gubernatorial primaries, click on the following links:

Candidates and election results

General election

General election for Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina

Rachel Hunt defeated Hal Weatherman, Shannon Bray, and Wayne Jones in the general election for Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina on November 5, 2024.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Rachel Hunt (D)	49.5	2,768,539
	Hal Weatherman (R)	47.6	2,663,183
	Shannon Bray (L)	1.9	104,192
	Wayne Jones (Constitution Party)	1.0	53,938

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 5,589,852
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Jason Nicholson (Independent)
Dee Watson (L)

Republican primary runoff election

Republican primary runoff for Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina

Hal Weatherman defeated Jim O'Neill in the Republican primary runoff for Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina on May 14, 2024.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Hal Weatherman	74.3	96,600
	Jim O'Neill	25.7	33,448

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 130,048
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina

Rachel Hunt defeated Ben Clark and Mark H. Robinson in the Democratic primary for Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina on March 5, 2024.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Rachel Hunt	70.4	477,196
	Ben Clark	16.5	111,836
	Mark H. Robinson	13.2	89,247

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 678,279
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Chris Rey (D)

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina

The following candidates ran in the Republican primary for Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina on March 5, 2024.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Hal Weatherman	19.6	181,818
✔	Jim O'Neill	15.8	147,042
	Deanna Ballard	15.0	138,822
	Seth Woodall	11.0	102,492
	Sam Page	10.2	94,810
	Allen Mashburn	9.0	83,550
	Jeffrey Elmore	8.6	79,883
	Peter Boykin	3.5	32,126
	Rivera Douthit	2.5	23,398
	Ernest Reeves	2.5	22,760
	Marlenis Hernandez Novoa	2.3	21,404

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 928,105
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Libertarian primary election

The Libertarian primary election was canceled. Dee Watson advanced from the Libertarian primary for Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina.

Candidate profiles

This section includes candidate profiles that may be created in one of two ways: either the candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey, or Ballotpedia staff may compile a profile based on campaign websites, advertisements, and public statements after identifying the candidate as noteworthy. For more on how we select candidates to include, click here.

Rachel Hunt

Party: Democratic Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: None

Submitted Biography: "I am running for Lt. Governor to help make North Carolina a better place to live, work, and raise a family. My priorities are investing in our public schools, expanding access to health care, and helping our local businesses thrive."

Key Messages

To read this candidate's full survey responses, click here.

I’m proud to have started my family right here in North Carolina. As a mom who has faced childbirth complications and raised two kids in this state, and as an advocate for domestic violence victims, I understand the challenges North Carolina women, children, and families are facing. The ongoing maternal healthcare crisis impacts all women and disproportionately impacts Black Women. Childcare must be more affordable. It’s well past time for North Carolina’s Women, Children, and Families to have an advocate in the Lt. Governor’s office, and I’ll be that advocate.

Everyone should have the right to make decisions about their healthcare in consultation with their doctor. The government should not be involved. Unfortunately, when it comes to women’s bodies, MAGA politicians in Raleigh care more about control than improving the quality of life for mothers and children. That’s why, as a State Senator, I’ve voted against their attempts to eliminate freedoms North Carolina women have had for more than 50 years. I support and trust women to make their own decisions. Further, I support making maternal life-saving measures safe and legal. I will continue to stand up for reproductive rights and fight for access to comprehensive reproductive healthcare.

I spent most of my childhood on a North Carolina farm, so I understand the unique challenges that our rural communities face. Working in the fields, taught me the value of hard work, resilience, and community. As your Lt. Governor, I'm committed to standing up for rural areas, ensuring they have a strong voice in the state government. Together, we will champion economic opportunities, access to quality education, and the good, affordable healthcare that rural North Carolinians deserve.

This information was current as of the candidate's run for Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina in 2024.

Voting information

See also: Voting in North Carolina

Election information in North Carolina: Nov. 5, 2024, election.

What was the voter registration deadline?

In-person: Nov. 2, 2024
By mail: Postmarked by Oct. 11, 2024
Online: Oct. 11, 2024

Was absentee/mail-in voting available to all voters?

Yes

What was the absentee/mail-in ballot request deadline?

In-person: Oct. 29, 2024
By mail: Received by Oct. 29, 2024
Online: Oct. 29, 2024

What was the absentee/mail-in ballot return deadline?

In-person: Nov. 5, 2024
By mail: Received by Nov. 5, 2024

Was early voting available to all voters?

Yes

What were the early voting start and end dates?

Oct. 17, 2024 to Nov. 2, 2024

Were all voters required to present ID at the polls? If so, was a photo or non-photo ID required?

N/A

When were polls open on Election Day?

6:30 a.m. - 7:30 p.m. (EST)

Campaign finance

See also: Campaign finance

The section and tables below contain data from financial reports submitted to state agencies. The data is gathered and made available by Transparency USA.

Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey responses

Ballotpedia asks all federal, state, and local candidates to complete a survey and share what motivates them on political and personal levels. The section below shows responses from candidates in this race who completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Survey responses from candidates in this race

Click on a candidate's name to visit their Ballotpedia page.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

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Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

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Rachel Hunt (D)

I’m proud to have started my family right here in North Carolina. As a mom who has faced childbirth complications and raised two kids in this state, and as an advocate for domestic violence victims, I understand the challenges North Carolina women, children, and families are facing. The ongoing maternal healthcare crisis impacts all women and disproportionately impacts Black Women. Childcare must be more affordable. It’s well past time for North Carolina’s Women, Children, and Families to have an advocate in the Lt. Governor’s office, and I’ll be that advocate.

Everyone should have the right to make decisions about their healthcare in consultation with their doctor. The government should not be involved. Unfortunately, when it comes to women’s bodies, MAGA politicians in Raleigh care more about control than improving the quality of life for mothers and children. That’s why, as a State Senator, I’ve voted against their attempts to eliminate freedoms North Carolina women have had for more than 50 years. I support and trust women to make their own decisions. Further, I support making maternal life-saving measures safe and legal. I will continue to stand up for reproductive rights and fight for access to comprehensive reproductive healthcare.

I spent most of my childhood on a North Carolina farm, so I understand the unique challenges that our rural communities face. Working in the fields, taught me the value of hard work, resilience, and community. As your Lt. Governor, I'm committed to standing up for rural areas, ensuring they have a strong voice in the state government. Together, we will champion economic opportunities, access to quality education, and the good, affordable healthcare that rural North Carolinians deserve.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Rachel Hunt (D)

Supporting North Carolina’s public schools, it's part of my DNA. My Grandmother and Mother were proud public school teachers who understood the difference a good teacher makes. My Dad was the Education Governor who led the charge for Smart Start and Raising Teacher Pay to the National Average. When Republicans go after public education in this state, especially in our rural communities, I fight back. As a State Senator, I’ve voted against their attempts to bankrupt our public schools and send our taxpayer dollars to unproven and unaccountable private schools. I’ll do the same as Lt. Governor.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

Rachel Hunt (D)

We hear a lot about my dad, and for good reason! However, my mom, Carolyn Hunt, is a huge source of inspiration for me. Born on a farm in rural Iowa, my mother lived without electricity until she was ten years old. She once told me how she and her siblings sat around the kitchen table every night doing their homework by kerosene lamplight. As First Lady of North Carolina, she embodied the values of putting family first. When she wasn’t working as the groom at my horse shows or canning vegetables she grew in her garden, she was fighting for children across North Carolina and using her platform to advocate for investments in early childhood education like SmartStart. She volunteered weekly in the public schools, served as the Chairwoman of the advisory council for the Governor's Office of Citizen Affairs, and helped create the North Carolina Friendship Force. She taught me what fighting for families really meant: accepting people for who they are and giving them the resources they need to be successful.

Are there any little-known powers or responsibilities held by this office that you believe more people should be aware of?

Rachel Hunt (D)

As Lt. Governor, I’ll have a seat on the State Board of Education, where my top priority will be fighting for a quality education in North Carolina. I’ll do this by standing up against the current attempt to bankrupt our public schools and small towns.

The Republican legislature weakened the Governor’s executive powers when responding to an emergency or natural disaster. Now, the Lieutenant Governor, along with all other members of the Council of State will need to reach a unanimous consensus before our sitting Governor can act. We need a government that functions when people need it most, not more red tape keeping them from getting the assistance they need. I pledge to support our Governor in whatever appropriate response is needed to effectively and efficiently respond to a crisis situation.

The Lieutenant Governor sits at the head of the North Carolina Senate and has tremendous influence over what issues are heard on the floor of the Senate chamber. As the next Lt. Governor, I’ll advocate for policies that support working parents.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

Rachel Hunt (D)

I've pledged to be present in every part of our state, actively listening to concerns and using that input to craft the practical solutions we genuinely need in Raleigh. It’s why hundreds of North Carolina leaders from all across our state have endorsed me. My campaign is built by showing up and earning trust, and that’s the kind of Lieutenant Governor I’ll be.

Past elections

The section below details election results for this office in elections dating back to 2012.