Walter H. Dalton
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This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates. |
Walter H. Dalton (born May 21, 1949) was the Democratic Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina from 2009 to 2013. In that capacity he also served as President of the North Carolina State Senate. He was first elected as lieutenant governor in 2008, and previously represented District 46 in the North Carolina State Senate.
In January 2012, Dalton announced his intention to seek the Democratic nomination for Governor of North Carolina in the 2012 gubernatorial election. His announcement came just days after incumbent Bev Perdue declared she would not seek a second term in office.[1] He won the Democratic primary election on May 8th and lost to Pat McCrory in the November 6th general election.[2]
Dalton was succeeded by Dan Forest (R), who won the lieutenant gubernatorial election on November 6, 2012.
Biography
Dalton was born May 21, 1949 in Rutherfordton in the foothills of Western North Carolina. His father, an attorney and state senator, died when Walter was in elementary school. After earning a B.S. and J.D. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Dalton worked as the managing partner of the Dalton & Miller law firm in Rutherfordton and served as a county attorney for 20 years.
In 1996, Dalton was elected to the same North Carolina State Senate seat his father held when Walter was young. He served six terms in the state Senate before winning election as Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina in 2008.[3][4]
Education
- B.S., Business administration, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
- J.D., University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Political career
Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina (2009 - 2013)
Dalton was first elected Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina in 2008. He did not seek re-election in 2012.
North Carolina State Senate (1996 - 2008)
Dalton was first elected to the North Carolina State Senate in 1996. He served for six terms and served as the co-chairman of the Appropriations Committee.
In 2005, Dalton co-sponsored a referendum to ban gay marriage,[5] but during his 2012 campaign for lieutenant governor he has openly opposed the state's controversial marriage amendment.[6]
Elections
2012
Following incumbent Beverly Perdue's decision to not seek a second term as governor, Dalton announced his intention to run for the top post in the 2012 election.[1] He defeated Bill Faison, Bob Etheridge, Gary M. Dunn, Gardenia Henley and Bruce Blackmon in the May 8th primary. He lost to Pat McCrory (R) in the general election on November 6, 2012. Barbara Howe (L) came in third.[2]
Dalton will be succeeded as lieutenant governor by Dan Forest, a Republican, who won election on November 6, 2012.
| Governor of North Carolina General Election, 2012 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Walter Dalton | 43.2% | 1,931,580 | |
| Republican |  Pat McCrory |
54.6% | 2,440,707 | |
| Libertarian | Barbara Howe | 2.1% | 94,652 | |
| Write-in | Various | 0% | 1,356 | |
| Total Votes | 4,468,295 | |||
| Election results via NC State Board of Elections | ||||
| Governor of North Carolina Democratic Primary, 2012 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | ||
| Walter Dalton |
45.9% | 428,475 | ||
| Bob Etheridge | 38% | 354,923 | ||
| Bill Faison | 5.6% | 52,179 | ||
| Gardenia Henley | 5.2% | 48,982 | ||
| Gary M. Dunn | 2.9% | 27,358 | ||
| Bruce Blackmon | 2.4% | 22,370 | ||
| Total Votes | 934,287 | |||
| Election results via The North Carolina Board of Elections. | ||||
Issue positions
Community colleges:
- Dalton said he believes the state's community college system can play a major role in strengthening the state's economy. “We would be in horrible shape if we didn’t have the strong community college system that we do,” he said.[7]
Endorsements
- Police Benevolent Association
- North Carolina Fraternal Order of Police[8]
- Equality NC Action Fund[9]
2008
Dalton won election as Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina in 2008, defeating Republican Robert Pittenger and Libertarian Phillip Rhodes.
| North Carolina Lieutenant Governor, General Election, 2008 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Walter Dalton |
51.1% | 2,133,058 | |
| Republican | Robert Pittenger | 45.9% | 1,915,012 | |
| Libertarian | Phillip Rhodes | 3% | 126,074 | |
| Total Votes | 4,174,144 | |||
| Election results via North Carolina State Board of Elections | ||||
Campaign finance summary
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Personal
Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Dalton and his wife, Lucille, have two children.
See also
External links
- Dalton's campaign website
- Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina website
- Dalton's official biography
- Dalton's answers to Indy Week's 2012 candidate questionnaire
- Campaign donors: 2012, 2010, 2008, 2006, 2004, 2002, 2000, 1998, 1996
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Watauga Democrat.com, "Walter Dalton announces run for governor," January 27, 2012
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 North Carolina State Board of Elections, "Primary election, May 8, 2012, Unofficial results," accessed May 9, 2012
- ↑ LtGov.state.NC.us, "Walter Dalton bio," accessed February 23, 2012
- ↑ Dalton for NC.com, "About," accessed February 23, 2012
- ↑ WFAE.org, "Candidate profile: Walter Dalton," April 26, 2012
- ↑ Independent Weekly, "(Update x 3: All five also endorse civil unions.) Five top Dem candidates in NC are all anti-Amendment One," March 28, 2012
- ↑ Gaston Gazette, "Democrat Dalton talks up community colleges in governor's race," August 13, 2012 (dead link)
- ↑ WRAL, "Dalton gets backing from NC police officers' group," August 8, 2012
- ↑ QNotes, "Statewide candidate endorsements announced," September 26, 2012
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by ' |
Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina January 10, 2009 - January 7, 2013 |
Succeeded by Dan Forest (R) |
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State of North Carolina Raleigh (capital) |
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