North Carolina Treasurer election, 2024 (March 5 Republican primary)

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← 2020
North Carolina Treasurer
Election details
Filing deadline: December 15, 2023
Primary: March 5, 2024 Primary runoff: May 14, 2024 General: November 5, 2024 Pre-election incumbent(s): Dale Folwell (R)
How to vote
Poll times: 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Voting in North Carolina
Ballotpedia analysis
Federal and state primary competitiveness State executive elections in 2024 Impact of term limits in 2024 State government trifectas State government triplexes Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2024
North Carolina executive elections
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Brad Briner (R) defeated A.J. Daoud (R) and Rachel Johnson (R) in the Republican primary for North Carolina Treasurer on March 5, 2024.

Incumbent Dale Folwell (R) ran for governor, leaving the office open.

Briner was a former asset manager. Briner said he would improve a state pension system he said has "substantially underperformed its peers, costing North Carolina taxpayers billions of dollars each year." Briner said his changes would include transferring authority for making investments from the state treasurer to a committee and pursuing investments that provide higher returns than the pension fund's current portfolio.

Daoud was, at the time of the election, a business owner and former commissioner of the state lottery. Daoud said his business experience, history of working for conservative causes, and passion for protecting taxpayer money made him the best candidate.

Johnson was a former financial professional and business owner. Johnson said she "wants the people of North Carolina to know their money is being wisely invested to safeguard our future." Johnson said she would continue Folwell's investment strategy, saying of Briner's proposals that "there’s always a temptation in this role to flex and try to make a risky play. It’s gotten a few folks in trouble over the years."

For more on public pensions in North Carolina, click here.

Before Dale Folwell (R) won election in 2016, no Republican had served as North Carolina Treasurer since 1876.

In North Carolina, a runner-up can request a runoff election if the winner does not take 30% of the vote, but a runoff is not required.

Brad Briner (R) completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. To read those survey responses, click here.

This page covers the Republican primary for North Carolina Treasurer. Click here for more on the general election.

Candidates and election results

Republican primary election

Republican primary for North Carolina Treasurer

Brad Briner defeated Rachel Johnson and A.J. Daoud in the Republican primary for North Carolina Treasurer on March 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Brad Briner	39.9	346,160
	Submit photo	Rachel Johnson	34.5	299,158
		A.J. Daoud	25.5	221,442

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 866,760
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• John Bradford III (R)

Voting information

See also: Voting in North Carolina

Election information in North Carolina: Nov. 5, 2024, election.

What was the voter registration deadline?

• In-person: Nov. 2, 2024
• By mail: Postmarked by Oct. 11, 2024
• Online: Oct. 11, 2024

Was absentee/mail-in voting available to all voters?

Yes

What was the absentee/mail-in ballot request deadline?

• In-person: Oct. 29, 2024
• By mail: Received by Oct. 29, 2024
• Online: Oct. 29, 2024

What was the absentee/mail-in ballot return deadline?

• In-person: Nov. 5, 2024
• By mail: Received by Nov. 5, 2024

Was early voting available to all voters?

Yes

What were the early voting start and end dates?

Oct. 17, 2024 to Nov. 2, 2024

Were all voters required to present ID at the polls? If so, was a photo or non-photo ID required?

N/A

When were polls open on Election Day?

6:30 a.m. - 7:30 p.m. (EST)

Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey responses

Ballotpedia asks all federal, state, and local candidates to complete a survey and share what motivates them on political and personal levels. The section below shows responses from candidates in this race who completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Survey responses from candidates in this race

Click on a candidate's name to visit their Ballotpedia page.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

Expand all | Collapse all

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Brad Briner (R)

The first key responsibility of the State Treasurer of North Carolina is to steward the State's AAA credit rating. As a Conservative in every sense of that word, I am ideally positioned to continue protecting the State's financial position.

The biggest area of prospective improvement for our State that is under the Treasurer's control is the investment performance of our pension plans. We have been overly cautious for over 20 years and have suffered by comparison to better-managed other state pension plans. With my deep experience in managing large pools of capital, I can and will improve performance of the pension plans, which will free up billions for the State Legislature to return to taxpayers or to spend on essential services like education or infrastructure. Currently, we are funding ~$2.8 billion per year into the pension plans, or one in every 6 income tax dollars our state collects. Properly managed, we could reduce that to zero over time.

The State Health Plan represents the largest future cost for the state as a ~$26 billion unfunded liability. Treasurer Folwell deserves much credit for highlighting this issue and beginning to make the plan more sustainable over time, however much work remains. We must use multiple methods to tackle this problem - considering new models to reduce costs, building a larger fund to support future expenditures, and prospectively new revenues to support the plan. Having been involved in many large and complicated negotiations over time, I am the best candidate to tackle this challenging issue.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Brad Briner (R)

As noted above, I have been managing multi-billion dollar investment portfolios successfully for the last 25 years. I am passionate about public pension plan performance and honoring the promise we have made those who protect, teach and serve responsibly!

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

Brad Briner (R)

The core responsibility of someone elected to this office is to manage the State's finances responsibly across multiple areas. As a result, to be successful in this role one needs deep experience in the financial services industry, most particularly in investment management as the State Pension plan is far and away the area where the Treasurer can make a difference for our State.

What legacy would you like to leave?

Brad Briner (R)

I would like my tombstone to read something like: "He was a good and moral man who honored his God and his family by giving everything he could"

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

Brad Briner (R)

I remember vividly learning that President Reagan was shot in 1981 - my parents were very upset as it was unclear at first that he would survive. As a 4 year old with a poster of Reagan on my bedroom wall, it was certainly the first historical event that I remember.

Are there any little-known powers or responsibilities held by this office that you believe more people should be aware of?

Brad Briner (R)

The State Treasurer of North Carolina is the “sole trustee” of the State’s pension plans – this means that within statutory limitations (which are set forth in NCGS 147-69.2), the Treasurer has the authority to invest the plans as he sees fit. This governance model is anachronistic at best – 47 of the 50 states have moved to a board of Trustees model which provides for more continuity in investment strategy (which generally leads to better returns) and better oversight.

Of the State’s $27bn current annual budget, approximately 10% goes to fund the pension plans. If the state pension plans continue to perform as they have in recent years, the pension contribution could rise to 20% of the state’s budget. Managed correctly, this percentage could decline.

I have spent the last 25 years building multi-billion-dollar investment portfolios, so I have deep expertise in managing pools of assets like the State’s pension plans. I believe that managing these plans better, including amending the governance of the plan to make that better performance more likely to be permanent, would be a material change that would improve the lives of North Carolinians by freeing up billions for other uses by the state, like tax reductions or other priorities like public safety, our education system, state employee compensation, cost-of-living adjustments for retirees or transportation infrastructure.

Tell us your favorite joke.

Brad Briner (R)

What do you call a rooster looking at a pile of lettuce? Chicken Sees-a-Salad

Past elections

The section below details election results for this office in elections dating back to 2012.

2020

See also: North Carolina Treasurer election, 2020

General election candidates

• Dale Folwell  (Incumbent) (Republican Party) ✔
• Ronnie Chatterji  (Democratic Party) 

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= candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey
 Democratic primary candidates

• Dimple Ajmera
• Ronnie Chatterji ✔ 
• Matthew Leatherman

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= candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey
 Republican primary candidates

This primary was canceled and this candidate advanced:

• Dale Folwell (Incumbent) ✔

2016

See also: North Carolina Treasurer election, 2016

The general election for State Treasurer was held on November 8, 2016.

Dale Folwell defeated Dan Blue III in the North Carolina treasurer election.

North Carolina Treasurer, 2016
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Dale Folwell	52.75%	2,348,938
	Democratic	Dan Blue III	47.25%	2,104,114
Total Votes				4,453,052
Source: ABC11

2012

See also: North Carolina down ballot state executive elections, 2012

Incumbent Janet Cowell (D) successfully won re-election, defeating Steve Royal (R) in the November 6, 2012 general election.

North Carolina Treasurer General Election, 2012
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Janet Cowell Incumbent	53.8%	2,313,877
	Republican	Steve Royal	46.2%	1,984,827
Total Votes				4,298,704
Election results via NC State Board of Elections

Election analysis

Click the tabs below to view information about demographics, past elections, and partisan control of the state.

• Presidential elections - Information about presidential elections in the state.
• Statewide elections - Information about recent U.S. Senate and gubernatorial elections in the state.
• State partisanship - The partisan makeup of the state's congressional delegation and state government.
• Demographics - Information about the state's demographics and how they compare to the country as a whole.

• Presidential elections
• Statewide elections
• State partisanship
• Demographics

See also: Presidential voting trends in North Carolina and The Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index

Cook PVI by congressional district

Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index for North Carolina, 2024
District	Incumbent	Party	PVI
North Carolina's 1st	Donald Davis	Democratic	R+1
North Carolina's 2nd	Deborah Ross	Democratic	D+15
North Carolina's 3rd	Gregory Murphy	Republican	R+11
North Carolina's 4th	Valerie Foushee	Democratic	D+21
North Carolina's 5th	Virginia Foxx	Republican	R+10
North Carolina's 6th	Kathy Manning	Democratic	R+11
North Carolina's 7th	David Rouzer	Republican	R+8
North Carolina's 8th	Dan Bishop	Republican	R+11
North Carolina's 9th	Richard Hudson	Republican	R+9
North Carolina's 10th	Patrick McHenry	Republican	R+10
North Carolina's 11th	Chuck Edwards	Republican	R+8
North Carolina's 12th	Alma Adams	Democratic	D+23
North Carolina's 13th	Wiley Nickel	Democratic	R+11
North Carolina's 14th	Jeff Jackson	Democratic	R+11

2020 presidential results by 2024 congressional district lines

2020 presidential results in congressional districts based on 2024 district lines, North Carolina
District	Joe Biden	Donald Trump
North Carolina's 1st	50.4%	48.8%
North Carolina's 2nd	66.9%	31.5%
North Carolina's 3rd	40.7%	58.0%
North Carolina's 4th	72.4%	26.2%
North Carolina's 5th	41.8%	57.2%
North Carolina's 6th	41.2%	57.5%
North Carolina's 7th	43.9%	54.9%
North Carolina's 8th	40.6%	58.3%
North Carolina's 9th	42.4%	56.3%
North Carolina's 10th	41.4%	57.4%
North Carolina's 11th	43.8%	54.8%
North Carolina's 12th	74.4%	24.2%
North Carolina's 13th	40.7%	57.9%
North Carolina's 14th	41.4%	57.5%

2012-2020

How a state's counties vote in a presidential election and the size of those counties can provide additional insights into election outcomes at other levels of government including statewide and congressional races. Below, four categories are used to describe each county's voting pattern over the 2012, 2016, and 2020 presidential elections: Solid, Trending, Battleground, and New. Click [show] on the table below for examples:

County-level voting pattern categories
Democratic
Status	2012	2016	2020
Solid Democratic	D	D	D
Trending Democratic	R	D	D
Battleground Democratic	D	R	D
New Democratic	R	R	D
Republican
Status	2012	2016	2020
Solid Republican	R	R	R
Trending Republican	D	R	R
Battleground Republican	R	D	R
New Republican	D	D	R

Following the 2020 presidential election, 47.1% of North Carolinians lived in one of the state's 22 Solid Democratic counties, which voted for the Democratic presidential candidate in every election from 2012 to 2020, and 46.3% lived in one of 68 Solid Republican counties. Overall, North Carolina was Solid Republican, having voted for Mitt Romney (R) in 2012, Donald Trump (R) in 2016, and Donald Trump (R) in 2020. Use the table below to view the total number of each type of county in North Carolina following the 2020 election as well as the overall percentage of the state population located in each county type.

North Carolina county-level statistics, 2020
Solid Democratic	22	47.1%
Solid Republican	68	46.3%
Trending Republican	6	2.7%
New Democratic	1	2.2%
Battleground Democratic	1	0.9%
Trending Democratic	1	0.5%
New Republican	1	0.3%
Total voted Democratic	25	50.7%
Total voted Republican	75	49.3%

Historical voting trends

North Carolina presidential election results (1900-2020)

• 18 Democratic wins
• 13 Republican wins

Year	1900	1904	1908	1912	1916	1920	1924	1928	1932	1936	1940	1944	1948	1952	1956	1960	1964	1968	1972	1976	1980	1984	1988	1992	1996	2000	2004	2008	2012	2016	2020
Winning Party	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	R	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	R	R	D	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	D	R	R	R

This section details the results of the five most recent U.S. Senate and gubernatorial elections held in the state.

U.S. Senate elections

See also: List of United States Senators from North Carolina

The table below details the vote in the five most recent U.S. Senate races in North Carolina.

U.S. Senate election results in North Carolina
Race	Winner	Runner up
2022	50.5%	47.3%
2020	48.7%	46.9%
2016	51.1%	45.3%
2014	48.8%	47.3%
2010	55.0%	42.9%
Average	51.3	45.3

Gubernatorial elections

See also: Governor of North Carolina

The table below details the vote in the five most recent gubernatorial elections in North Carolina.

Gubernatorial election results in North Carolina
Race	Winner	Runner up
2020	51.5%	47.0%
2016	49.0%	48.8%
2012	54.6%	43.2%
2008	50.3%	46.9%
2004	55.6%	42.9%
Average	52.2	45.8

See also: Party control of North Carolina state government

Congressional delegation

The table below displays the partisan composition of North Carolina's congressional delegation as of May 2024.

Congressional Partisan Breakdown from North Carolina
Party	U.S. Senate	U.S. House	Total
Democratic	0	4	4
Republican	2	10	12
Independent	0	0	0
Vacancies	0	0	0
Total	2	14	16

State executive

The table below displays the officeholders in North Carolina's top four state executive offices as of May 2024.

State executive officials in North Carolina, May 2024
Office	Officeholder
Governor	Roy Cooper
Lieutenant Governor	Mark Robinson
Secretary of State	Elaine Marshall
Attorney General	Josh Stein

State legislature

North Carolina State Senate

Party		As of February 2024
	Democratic Party	20
	Republican Party	30
	Other	0
	Vacancies	0
Total		50

North Carolina House of Representatives

Party		As of February 2024
	Democratic Party	48
	Republican Party	72
	Other	0
	Vacancies	0
Total		120

Trifecta control

The table below shows the state's trifecta status from 1992 until the 2024 election.

North Carolina Party Control: 1992-2024
Fourteen years of Democratic trifectas  •  Four years of Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.

Year	92	93	94	95	96	97	98	99	00	01	02	03	04	05	06	07	08	09	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24
Governor	R	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	R	R	R	R	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D
Senate	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R
House	D	D	D	R	R	R	R	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R

The table below details demographic data in North Carolina and compares it to the broader United States as of 2022.

Demographic Data for North Carolina
	North Carolina	United States
Population	10,439,388	331,449,281
Land area (sq mi)	48,623	3,531,905
Race and ethnicity**
White	65%	65.9%
Black/African American	20.9%	12.5%
Asian	3.1%	5.8%
Native American	1%	0.8%
Pacific Islander	0.1%	0.2%
Two or more	5.9%	8.8%
Hispanic/Latino	10%	18.7%
Education
High school graduation rate	89.4%	89.1%
College graduation rate	33.9%	34.3%
Income
Median household income	$66,186	$75,149
Persons below poverty level	9.5%	8.8%
Source: population provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "Decennial Census" (2020). Other figures provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2017-2022).
**Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

About state financial officers (SFO's)

Different states have different names for state financial officers, but they all fall into three groups: treasurers, auditors, and controllers.

Broadly, these officials are responsible for things like auditing other government offices, managing payroll, and overseeing pensions. In some states, certain SFOs are also responsible for investing state retirement and trust funds, meaning they decide where that public money goes.

Because of the role SFOs play in managing public investments, they have been involved in debates over environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG). ESG refers to an investment or corporate governance approach that involves considering the extent to which corporations conform to certain standards related to environmental, social, and corporate governance issues (such as net carbon emission or corporate board diversity goals) and making business and investment decisions that promote those standards.

External links

• Search Google News for this topic
• North Carolina treasurer official website