RALEIGH — North Carolina House Speaker Tim Moore (R-Kings Mountain) is running for Congress, confirming his long-awaited plans for 2024.
Moore, who is currently in a record fifth two-year term as state house speaker, already had announced that he wouldn’t seek reelection to his state House seat in 2024 and was considering a bid for Washington. His political consultant Paul Shumaker told the Associated Press he was running via text message.
Following October’s redistricting session, the new 14th Congressional District covers six counties, centered in Moore’s home of Cleveland County. The other counties in the district are Burke, Gaston, Rutherford, and parts of Mecklenburg and Polk.
Candidate filing for the March 5, 2024 primary begins in December.
Democratic U.S. Rep. Jeff Jackson, who defeated Republican Pat Harrigan in the current iteration of the 14th District, announced that he would run for NC attorney general next year instead of seeking reelection.
Harrigan, had previously announced his plan to run again in the reconfigured 14th. Following the news of Moore’s entry to the race, he ‘22 nominee launched a broadside against Moore, labeling him a “casino activist” and referencing a lawsuit filed against him that was subsequently settled.
“Let’s be clear: Tim Moore carries a legacy of corruption, from being bought and paid for by the casino and gambling bosses, to taxpayer-funded sexual escapades. Such a man does not carry NC14’s values, nor does he deserve our trust,” Harrigan said in a fiery statement.
Moore, 53, is an attorney who was first elected to the N.C. House of Representatives in 2002. He became the House Rules Committee chairman in 2011 when Republicans took over the chamber and succeeded now-U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis as speaker in 2015.
Moore has said he would serve out the remainder of his term through the end of next year and be speaker during next year’s short session in April.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
