Six candidates are running in the Republican primary for North Carolina Auditor on March 5, 2024. Three lead in fundraising: Dave Boliek (R), Charles Dingee (R), and Jeff Tarte (R).
Boliek is an attorney and member of the University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill Board of Trustees. Boliek says his experience managing the university’s investments and as a prosecuting attorney make him the best-qualified candidate to serve as state auditor.
Dingee is a small business owner. Dingee has served as Congressional District 13 chairman for the state Republican Party and as 1st vice-chairman of the Wake County GOP. Dingee says he is running to promote fiscal responsibility and transparency. Dingee says he will audit the state board of elections for the first time in more than a decade to establish whether voters remained registered after their deaths.
Tarte is an attorney and former state senator who is running on his public and private sector experience. Tarte says he chaired the committee responsible for oversight of the auditor’s office and drafted a bill that required independent financial audits for the state government’s largest departments. Tarte says he will implement AI-based software to track and identify fraud.
Also running in the primary are Jack Clark (R), Jim Kee (R), and Anthony Wayne Street (R).
If no candidate wins more than 30% of the vote, the top two finishers will advance to a primary runoff on May 14, 2024.
The winner of the Republican primary will face incumbent Jessica Holmes (D) and Bob Drach (L) in the general election. The last Republican elected as North Carolina Auditor was Leslie Merritt (R) in 2004.
