North Carolina Superintendent of Public Instruction Mark Johnson announced Tuesday that he will forgo reelection in 2020 and instead run for lieutenant governor.
"North Carolina deserves a leader who will fight to make all government more accountable, more efficient, and more transparent," Johnson said in a statement. "That's why today I am declaring my candidacy for lieutenant governor of North Carolina. I've seen first-hand how bad state government can be. I've already been in the trenches fighting the deep state in state bureaucracy."
James Barrett, Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools Board of Education member and candidate for North Carolina superintendent, released a statement Tuesday reacting to Johnson's news.
"Parents, teachers and students can breathe a sigh of relief today that Mark Johnson will no longer do harm to our great state's public education system," Barrett said in the statement.
Barrett announced in January that when his term on the CHCCS board expired, he would not run for reelection, announcing a run for state superintendent instead.
