OK, the race for North Carolina lieutenant governor just got a little more interesting:
N.C. House Rep. Dale Folwell, R-Forsyth, announced this morning that he is running for lieutenant governor.
If Folwell wins he would be only the second Republican to hold the office since Jim Gardner broke a 92-year GOP drought in 1988. But the GOP made big gains in the state in 2010, capturing the House and Senate and catapulting Folwell into the position of Speaker Pro Tem of the House.
Folwell called himself “uniquely qualified” for lieutenant governor, an office he described as requiring legislative experience plus the ability to work with the governor.
“It needs to be someone who can build a bridge between the legislature and the governor, which I have done with 29 pieces of legislation and no vetoes over seven years of being in a minority,” Folwell said.
Folwell, 53, has represented Forsyth County in the House since 2005. He said in December that he would not run for re-election to the House, and days ago said he would run for a statewide office. He had been mentioned also as a candidate for state auditor or treasurer.
Aside from Folwell, two Republicans have announced bids for Lt. Gov.: Dan Forest, an architect and businessman, and Tony Gurley, a pharmacist and Wake County commissioner. Walter Dalton is the Democratic incumbent.
