RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) -- North Carolina's highest-ranking Republican in the executive branch is following several Election Day winners by getting sworn in before this weekend's public inauguration ceremony.
Lt. Gov. Dan Forest plans to take the oath for his second term Tuesday evening at the Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Raleigh.
Forest is a Raleigh architect who defeated Democratic nominee Linda Coleman by 300,000 votes in a rematch of their 2012 race. The lieutenant governor presides over the state Senate, serves on state education boards and performs other duties.
New Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper got sworn in early New Year's Day. It marks the first time the governor and lieutenant governor are from different parties in nearly 30 years.
Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.