Rep. Dan Bishop (R-NC) said he is leaving Congress next year to run for his state's attorney general.
Bishop shared the announcement during a radio show in Charlotte, North Carolina.
GOP Congressman Dan Bishop to leave Congress, run for North Carolina attorney general in 2024 https://t.co/HGaSCXdLIB
— Just the News (@JustTheNews) August 3, 2023
"Over the course of many months we decided this is the right thing for me to do, to come back to North Carolina," Bishop reportedly said on WBT radio about him and his wife.
"I think there’s an opportunity to use the influence of that office to restore law and order to our cities," he added.
North Carolina Rep. Dan Bishop has announced he'll run for state attorney general next year rather than seek to remain in Congress. https://t.co/O3dJm7B1oJ
— ABC11 EyewitnessNews (@ABC11_WTVD) August 4, 2023
"Bishop joined Congress in 2019 by narrowly winning a special election, after raising his profile in state politics as a chief sponsor of the controversial 2016 'bathroom bill,'" the Associated Press reported.
"A former county commissioner and state legislator, Bishop said he misses practicing law more regularly, and sees the post as a way to counter an encroaching federal government and to buttress law enforcement during a time of increasing violence," it added.
North Carolina GOP Rep. Dan Bishop to leave Congress to run for state attorney general https://t.co/Cii8sEIAv7
— Fox News Politics (@foxnewspolitics) August 3, 2023
"In the general election, Bishop will face off against Democrat Tim Dunn, who, according to Ballotpedia, is the only Democratic candidate who has filed paperwork for the 2024 election," Fox News reported.
Bishop was also known as one of Rep. Kevin McCarthy's (R-CA) most vocal opponents in his bid to become House Speaker. He also serves as part of the House Freedom Caucus, the group that opposed McCarthy's bid.
The congressman joins Mark Robinson who plans to run as a Republican for governor in North Carolina.
The duo could help lead the Tarheel state in a conservative shift that Republicans hope will serve in a similar way as recent leadership changes in Virginia under Gov. Glenn Youngkin and in Florida under Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Republicans will now face a battle to find Bishop's replacement for a 2024 run in the closely-contested House. North Carolina's conservatives, however, will likely see the move as a positive for their state, offering stronger leaders to compete in 2024.
