Lt. Gov. Dan Forest will formally enter the 2020 race for North Carolina governor during a public announcement and rally at 2 p.m. August 17, 2019, at the Winston-Salem Fairgrounds. At the event, Forest will outline his vision for a campaign based on civility, unity and service to the state of North Carolina.

The campaign also announced three senior staff positions. They are: 

• Hal Weathermanhas assumed the role of Campaign Manager, responsible for the strategic direction and day to day operations of the statewide campaign. He previously served as chairman of the Exploratory Committee. Weatherman also managed Forest’s two successful runs for lieutenant governor and served as chief of staff in the Office of the Lieutenant Governor.

• Jim Duncan joins the campaign as Chief Operating Officer, responsible for administrative oversight and compliance.  Duncan is the former chairman of the Chatham County GOP and a founding member of the nonpartisan Coalition for American Principles, a grassroots citizens group dedicated to fiscal responsibility and individual liberty. He entered politics after a successful 30-year career in the tech industry. 

• Andrew Dunn joins the campaign as Communications Director, responsible for all facets of the campaign’s public communications and serving as chief spokesman for the campaign.  Dunn is a veteran journalist with more than a decade of experience as a reporter and editor at North Carolina news organizations, including the Charlotte Observer and the StarNews in Wilmington. He also served as the editor of Charlotte Agenda, a digital news outlet, and founder of Longleaf Politics.