Q&A: Rachel Hunt says NC can do better than divisiveness in lieutenant governor
A North Carolina senator and daughter of former four-term Gov. Jim Hunt announced her bid for lieutenant governor Wednesday.
Sen. Rachel Hunt, a Charlotte Democrat, announced her candidacy Wednesday in North Carolina’s 2024 lieutenant governor race. Her district covers parts of Pineville, Ballantyne, Matthews and south Charlotte.
“North Carolinians deserve leaders that are focused on the right priorities like expanding access to affordable healthcare, increasing the minimum wage, investing in our schools and cleaning up the water we drink and air we breathe,” Hunt said in a Twitter announcement Wednesday morning.
“Hunt for lieutenant governor” is a campaign phrase familiar to longtime North Carolinians.
Hunt’s father was the longest-serving governor in the state. But before that, he served as lieutenant governor from 1973 to 1977. Asked whether she’d also run for governor later, Hunt told The Charlotte Observer, “I would not take any path off the table.”
In following in her father’s footsteps five decades later, Hunt is joining other announced 2024 candidates such as Democrat Chris Rey and Republican Hal Weatherman.
Hunt was elected to represent Senate District 42 in November. Previously, she served two terms in the North Carolina House. In 2018, she beat GOP Rep. Bill Brawley by just 68 votes in House District 103.
Filing for the 2024 statewide primary begins Dec. 4 and lasts through Dec. 15, according to the North Carolina Board of Elections. The 2024 primary is March 5, 2024.
In this Q&A with the Observer, Hunt presented her case on why she thinks she’s right for the job and offered criticism about Republican Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson. The Observer contacted Robinson’s office to respond to Hunt’s statements, but a spokesman did not immediately return the Observer’s request.
Robinson is widely expected to run for governor. He’s been denounced for controversial comments on sex education, LGBTQ+ rights and abortion.
Charlotte Observer: Why are you running for this office?
Rachel Hunt: I’ve had a front-row seat to the damage that Lt. Governor Robinson has done to our state and I know that North Carolinians deserve better.
CO: What about your record will make you a strong candidate for Democratic primary voters and general election voters?
RH: In the NC House and now the Senate, I’ve reached out to members of both parties to invest in public education and public safety, and introduced a bipartisan Student Borrowers’ Bill of Rights. I’ve called for investments in job training initiatives so that people can be paid for their skills and not just their degrees. I’ve introduced bills to make polluters pay and protect against health risks caused by exposure to toxic chemicals. But more than my legislative record is the fact that I love North Carolina and I want to see our state thrive. Our family lives in the suburbs of Charlotte, but I have roots in every corner of the state and I know that more unites us than divides us.
CO: Who else do you think your competition will be for the Democratic nomination?
RH: Regardless of whether anyone else runs, we are focused on delivering the message that North Carolinians deserve leaders who are focused on the right priorities like expanding access to affordable health care, increasing the minimum wage, investing in our schools, and cleaning up the water we drink and air we breathe.
CO: What policies in NC will be key to your candidacy?
RH: We want a North Carolina where our families and children are supported and safe and where North Carolina’s basic freedoms are supported and safe. Among other things, that means investing in our public schools, expanding access to affordable health care and cleaning up the water we drink and air we breathe.
CO: How do you plan to campaign for lieutenant governor starting now?
RH: We plan to speak with voters in every corner of the state, building supports from the grassroots up. We want voters to know that North Carolina can do better than Mark Robinson’s divisiveness and extremism.
This story was originally published March 2, 2023 at 6:00 AM.
