NORTH CAROLINA -- Lt. Gov. Dan Forest will formally begin his 2020 campaign for governor of North Carolina at a weekend rally next month.
- First campaign rally for Lt. Gov. Dan Forest will be held August 17 at the Winston-Salem Fairgrounds.
- Forest has served as North Carolina’s lieutenant governor since winning the seat in 2012.
- Gov. Roy Cooper will seek re-election.
The event on August 17 will be held at the Winston-Salem Fairgrounds.
Forest described his campaign as an "exploratory committee" for governor six months ago. The Republican has been raising campaign funds for an expected gubernatorial run.
An announcement from his campaign on Tuesday said the “exploratory” language form his campaign has been dropped.
Forest is a Raleigh architect who was first elected lieutenant governor in 2012. He won his re-election bid in 2016 and is the highest-ranking Republican executive branch official in North Carolina since Gov. Roy Cooper won the governor’s seat in 2016.
Cooper is also seeking re-election.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.