Ballard running in Republican primary for lieutenant governor

by THERESA OPEKA Carolina Journal

Former North Carolina state senator and Lincoln County native Deanna Ballard announced on Monday, July 24, that she is running in the 2024 Republican primary for lieutenant gover-

In a press release on her website, she said that “she’s running for Lt. Governor to pick up where she left off,” including fighting for children.

“Financial security and constitutional freedoms are in jeopardy for working families – the backbone of North Carolina,” she said. “They have been stretched thin by inflation, looked down upon by elites, and told their way of thinking and worshipping is no longer mainstream. Enough is enough.”

Ballard, who represented Watauga County, narrowly lost the 2021 Republican primary to Sen. Ralph Hise, R-Mitchell County, for Senate District 47’s general election. Hise secured 50.65 percent of the vote compared to Ballard’s 49.35 percent.

The primary was one of the most closely watched in the state because of its unusual matchup – two popular sitting state senators fac- ing off after being “double bunked” in the same district due to redistricting.

Ballard had represented the old Senate District 45 since 2016. She served as chair of both the Senate Education Committee and the Senate Education Appropriations Committee.

“When parents are excluded from critical decisions affecting their child’s health and well-being at school, it really sends a message to children that parents’ input and authority is really no longer important,” Ballard said at a May 2022 Sen-