Tim Dunn (North Carolina)

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Tim Dunn

Democratic Party

Elections and appointments

Last election

March 5, 2024

Education

Bachelor's

University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, 1982

Law

Campbell School of Law, 1987

Military

Service / branch

U.S. Marine Corps

Years of service

1986 - 2019

Personal

Birthplace

Fayetteville, N.C.

Religion

Methodist

Profession

Attorney at law

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Campaign Twitter

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Personal LinkedIn

Tim Dunn (Democratic Party) ran for election for Attorney General of North Carolina. He lost in the Democratic primary on March 5, 2024.

Dunn completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Tim Dunn was born in Fayetteville, North Carolina. He served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1986 to 2019. He earned a bachelor's degree from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill in 1982 and a law degree from Campbell School of Law in 1987. His career experience includes working as an attorney at law.

Dunn has been affiliated with the following organizations:

• Haymount United Methodist Church, Fayetteville NC
• NC State Bar
• Cumberland County, NC Bar Association
• NC Advocates for Justice
• Veterans of Foreign Wars
• American Legion
• Marine Corps Reserve Association
• Disabled American Veterans
• NC Pro Bono Honor Society
• NC Sons of the American Revolution
• Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans Association
• Quinism Foundation
• Kiwanis Club of Fayetteville NC
• Chief of Staff Association

Elections

2024

See also: North Carolina Attorney General election, 2024

General election

General election for Attorney General of North Carolina

Jeff Jackson defeated Dan Bishop in the general election for Attorney General of North Carolina on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Jeff Jackson (D)	51.4	2,874,960
		Dan Bishop (R)	48.6	2,715,411

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 5,590,371
= 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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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Attorney General of North Carolina

Jeff Jackson defeated Satana Deberry and Tim Dunn in the Democratic primary for Attorney General of North Carolina on March 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Jeff Jackson	54.8	370,666
		Satana Deberry	33.1	223,835
		Tim Dunn	12.1	81,492

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 675,993
= 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.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Charles Ingram (D)

Republican primary election

The Republican primary election was canceled. Dan Bishop advanced from the Republican primary for Attorney General of North Carolina.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Thomas Murry (R)

Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Dunn in this election.

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Tim Dunn completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Dunn's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Growing up in Fayetteville, NC I learned from an early age the love of God, Family, North Carolina, and Military. I attended public schools, the UNC at Chapel Hill and Campbell Law School. As if the demands of law school weren't enough, I joined the US Marine Corps in my 2nd year of Law School and retired as a Colonel.

I have been married 45 years and we have 3 adult children and 4 grandchildren. We chose to return to North Carolina after active duty because we believe it is the best place to raise a family, and I want to keep it that way. I have over 36 years of courtroom experience coupled with extensive leadership skills. I defended, prosecuted, and judged 1000s of cases: capital murder, highest level felonies, catastrophic injury, general courts-martial in state, Federal, and military courts. I have supervised, mentored, and taught hundreds of attorneys. I was the first Marine attorney chosen to prosecute Saddam Hussein. I continue to mentor high school and college students through Moot Court Competitions. I currently represent indigent juveniles and Pro Bono cases. I took a solemn oath to support and defend the U.S. and NC Constitutions and I've dedicated my life to doing so. I cannot sit idly by while our core values that I fought to protect are threatened. Our laws, their enforcement and the consequences of violating our laws matter. We owe that to our children and grandchildren. Everything I have done has prepared me to assume the role of NC Attorney General.

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?

• We must ensure our laws are applied fairly to all citizens. It is crucial that we protect our constitutional rights. We must protect our right to vote, women's rights, the right to public safety, freedom of speech, the right to quality public education, and the right to clean air, water, and land.

  It is critical that we protect our vulnerable populations: children, women, marginalized communities, the elderly, the poor, and Veterans. We must protect consumers from insurance, IRS, Medicare, banking scammers and fraud. We must initiate solutions for healthcare inequality, social inequality, and actively prosecute corporations that prey on the air, water, and land with pollution and contamination AND HOLD THEM ACCOUNTABLE.

• End the Fentanyl and Opioid epidemic through: AWARENESS: Document statistics on demographics/deaths. Meet in communities with soaring addiction rates to help with their needs to combat the issue. EDUCATION: Develop an educational curriculum to age groups from elementary school to adults. We must educate our youth on the deadly outcome of opioid usage. PREVENTION: Educate citizens on overdose signs and the use of Narcan in emergencies. Ensure Methadone is an attainable medicine for treatment. Implement long-term treatment programs with counseling. Get offenders the care they need in treatment centers, not necessarily in jail. PROSECUTION: Support Law Enforcement to arrest manufacturers, suppliers, and users.
• Reduce gun violence and violent crime by supporting law enforcement. I will oversee the standards to ensure they are getting up-to-date training and stress effective communication skills, especially in crisis intervention to prevent escalation situations. Officers must be able to recognize mental illness and drug crises to get these people the help they deserve. We must move from a "warrior-minded" attitude to a "protector-minded" one. We must couple use-of-force with accountability. Reform our Justice System. Fund Veteran, Drug, and Mental Health Courts. We MUST get more funding for Juvenile Justice. We MUST help our children to diminish the number of future adult criminals in our communities.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I'm passionate about the fundamental Constitutional civil rights and voting rights. The basic core of democracy is that every person's vote counts. The wrongful and unconstitutional gerrymandering of NC districts significantly dilutes and in some cases completely erases the value of one's vote because of our Republican General Assembly drew the districts to keep their 3rd tier political party in power.
I'm also passionate about juvenile justice. Our juvenile justice system must be improved and properly funded. Improvement in public education and poverty is crucial in preventing young people from getting involved in criminal activity. The system is broken with the majority of youth defendants being minorities.

What qualities does this office possess that makes it a unique and important part of the state government and legal system?

The NC Attorney General is the top law enforcement officer in the State. As such, the Attorney General's primary responsibility is to uphold, support, preserve, defend, and enforce the NC Constitution, not inconsistent with the U.S. Constitution, and the duly enacted laws of this State, that are also not inconsistent with the U.S. or the NC Constitutions.

The NC Attorney General's office represents the State and State agencies before State and Federal Courts. I have represented clients before these courts for over 36 years. The position is also the Chief Legal Advisor to the Governor, the General Assembly, and local District Attorneys. I have been a Chief Legal Advisor in the Marine Corps, known as a Staff Judge Advocate. I have advised the most senior officers in the U.S. military services and I've worked closely with every law enforcement agency in the Federal and State governments, including FBI, ATF, U.S, Marshall Service, DEA, DIA, CIA, NC SBI, NC SHP, Fayetteville Police Dept, and the Cumberland Co Sheriff's Office.
I have served as a Senior and Executive Marine Officer, including the rank of Colonel, and completely understand how Federal and State governments work, including the proper use of the "chain of command".

As a Marine Corps Chief of Staff, I was responsible for over 6000 active-duty and civilian Marines and over 60,000 students with a budget of over $350 million. I have served as a Prosecutor, Defense Counsel, and a Federal Military Judge and I understand the value of our society's need for the highest quality, competently trained and paid law enforcement. I have the ability to see and understand problems, develop a workable plan to solve them and to execute the plan with our Dept of Justice. By doing this we will make NC a better and safer place to live, work, and raise our families.

The attorney general often sets policy priorities for law enforcement. For example, a state's attorney general may decide to dedicate extra resources to combat human trafficking. Are there certain areas of law enforcement that you would emphasize?

Yes

1. End the Fentanyl/Opioid epidemic
2. Reduce Gun Violence and Violent Crime

3. Improve Juvenile Justice

A state's attorney general has many responsibilities. Which of those do you personally consider the most important?

The most important responsibility is to uphold and defend the NC Constitution and General Statutes.

Other responsibilities I feel are most important include:
Prosecute and hold accountable individuals and entities who violate these laws.
Maintain current and constantly improve training standards for Law Enforcement justice academies.

Represent and provide legal advice and opinions to all State departments, the Governor, the General Assembly and District Attorneys when required and asked to do so.

Attorneys general can represent their states in legal conflicts with the federal government. Do you consider this an important part of an attorney general's responsibilities?

Yes

Do you believe that it's beneficial for a state's attorney general to have previous experience in government or politics?

I believe it's beneficial for the NC Attorney General to have experience in government and leadership and how to get the job done/accomplish the mission, but not necessarily have experience in politics.

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

I look up to Jesus and His life in the New Testament as an example of how we should live.

Historical figures in the world and U.S. I look up to are Apostle Paul, George Washington, Abigail Adams, Abraham Lincoln, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Ghandi, Winston Churchill, Golda Meir, Martin Luther King Jr., Nelson Mandela, and Barack Obama

I would like to follow the example of Martin Luther King Jr. because he was a follower of Jesus, used his life to right the wrongs of our society, an advocate for civil and voting rights of black Americans, the poor and the disenfranchised, and was a servant-leader with passion, compassion, conviction and action.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

The Holy Bible

The U.S. Constitution
Profiles in Courage

To Kill a Mockingbird

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Honesty

Integrity
Good moral character
Honor
Courage
Commitment

The ability to fulfill the duties and responsibilities of the office in accordance with the law, plus taking care of and motivating the people who work for him or her.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

The qualities that I posses that would make me a successful office holder are:

Honesty
Integrity
Courage
Commitment
Leadership
Passion
Compassion

Management skills, people skills, and problem-solving skills

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

Overall with reference to the core duties and responsibilities of the NC Attorney General, required by the NC Constitution and the NC General Statutes, the primary character traits of the person serving in this office start with Honesty, Integrity, and the determination to do the right thing regardless of the circumstances. The Truth Matters!

Passion for the job and compassion for the people are requirements for this job. My life's story including my education, my personal family life, and my professional life exemplifies these character traits.

I will maintain these honorable traits and integrity while performing the following duties enumerated in chapter 114 of the NC General Statutes:

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

I vaguely remember when President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in 1963. I was 3 years old and couldn't understand why everyone was so upset and sad.
I distinctly remember in 1968 when Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy were assassinated and the first moon landing in 1969.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

My first job was working in my uncle's tobacco field in rural Cumberland County, NC. It was summer employment when I was 15-16 years old and taught me the value of putting in a hard day's work for honest wages.

What is your favorite book? Why?

the Bible, because it is Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth, because it explains God and man's mission on earth.

If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?

I'd be Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

Lift High the Cross (from church today)

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.

Campaign finance summary

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Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.

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Tim Dunn campaign contribution history

Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2024*	Attorney General of North Carolina	Lost primary	$17,467	$17,461
Grand total			$17,467	$17,461
Sources: OpenSecrets,  Federal Elections Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
* Data from this year may not be complete

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