13 Facts About Dan Forest

Dan Forest was born on October 15,1967 and is an American politician who served as the 34th lieutenant governor of North Carolina from 2013 to 2021.

Dan Forest is the son of former congresswoman Sue Myrick.

Dan Forest's mother, Sue Myrick, was a member of the US House of Representatives, who represented a Charlotte-based congressional district from 1995 to 2013.

Dan Forest received a bachelor's degree and a master's degree in architecture from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.

An architect, Dan Forest was a senior partner at an architectural firm in Charlotte before being elected lieutenant governor.

Dan Forest began a one-year term as the chairman of the Republican Lieutenant Governors Association in 2018.

Dan Forest was a leading supporter of proposals to adopt a state "religious freedom restoration" act, a controversial bill on religion.

In mid-March 2020, Forest opposed Governor Roy Cooper's closure of bars and restriction of restaurants to take-out and delivery only on the grounds it didn't give bars and restaurants enough time to prepare, and in mid-April, Forest called for the immediate reopening of public places with non-binding guidance from state government.

In June 2020, Dan Forest announced that he was suing Governor Cooper over his coronavirus executive orders, alleging that the governor could not issue the directives without the concurrence of the Council of State.

In January 2019, Dan Forest announced the formation of an exploratory committee to run for governor to challenge incumbent Democratic governor Roy Cooper in 2020.

Dan Forest incorrectly claimed that influenza had killed more North Carolinians in 2020 than the coronavirus.

In September 2020, Dan Forest said that, if elected, he would immediately reopen all K-12 public schools for in-person learning.

Dan Forest asserted that COVID-19-related restrictions were being used by "the left" to hurt the church.