Former Rep. Mark Walker (R-NC) announced he is running for governor in North Carolina, painting himself as the GOP’s best chance to flip the governor’s mansion back into Republican control after Gov. Roy Cooper (D) leaves office in 2024.
Walker is well known in North Carolina after serving in the House representing the state’s 6th Congressional District from 2015 to 2021. The North Carolina Republican then opted not to run for reelection in 2020 after recent redistricting shifted the district’s boundaries to favor Democrats.
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He later ran for the GOP nomination for North Carolina’s open Senate seat last year, but finished third in the primary contest.
Walker’s candidacy sets the stage for what could become a high-profile primary against Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, who is widely considered to be the front-runner in the race. Walker said he got into the race because he finds Robinson, who has a history of controversial comments, unelectable and would cost Republicans the seat.
Robinson wouldn’t “just cost you a gubernatorial seat. That impacts the presidential race, and it impacts races across the state up and down the ballot,” Walker told Politico last month.
However, Robinson remains popular among Republicans and has already been endorsed by a number of top lawmakers in the state, including Sen. Ted Budd (R-NC).
Walker released a video announcement declaring his candidacy on Saturday, pointing to his experience as a pastor and how his religious background would help determine his policies. For example, Walker has described himself as being “100% pro-life” — but argued lawmakers must focus the debate not just on the procedure but also on providing “the resources needed to not just before the baby’s born, but also after the baby’s born,” according to Politico.
Robinson has also taken a hard stance on abortion, noting in a radio interview earlier this year that he would support banning abortion statewide in all cases.
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Abortion could play an outsize role in the 2024 election cycle, particularly as the issue has been heating up debate among state legislators in recent days. The GOP-led legislature voted to override a veto from Cooper earlier this week to implement an abortion ban after the first trimester.
Abortion was also a major flashpoint in the 2022 midterm elections, and Democrats seized on the issue to help boost their party’s candidates in several states. The issue could once again take center stage in the governor’s race as Democratic Attorney General Josh Stein, who is also running for the seat, has vowed to fight the new abortion law.
