Dante Pittman

We’re excited to be joining Dante Pittman’s race for these final 50 days of fundraising, in the most flippable battleground state in the nation. (Biden only lost by 70k votes in 2020). Of all of Sister District’s endorsed candidates in 11 states, Dante is the one who could use our help the most!  

You may have heard about the weird (more like frightening) statements made by the GOP Gubernatorial candidate, Mark Robinson. Well, if the Democratic Gubernatorial candidate, Josh Stein, wins (polls allege he is ahead by 9 points), we’ll need Dante in his seat so Stein has veto power. Flipping Dante’s seat will end the GOP’s Supermajority, which means they would no longer have the votes to override the Governor’s veto. And we need to stop the GOP Project 2025 extremism that is happening at our state level.

Supporting Dante and getting his name out to his voters is critical to prevent Down Ballot roll-off! Research by Gaby Goldstein, a Sister District Co-Founder and Senior Vice President of Strategic Initiatives, revealed, Democrats vote Down Ballot only 20% of the time; they don't vote if they don't know the candidate. If Democrats had voted down ballot 2% more in 2020, we would have flipped 14 more chambers in 9 states. That’s why supporting Dante is so critical! 

As Gaby Goldstein says, “It’s Margin of Effort, not Margin of Error.”

Dante is a proud lifelong resident of Wilson County and his local family ties go back generations. After graduating from Wilson County Public Schools, Dante went on to college at UNC-Chapel Hill. Public schools taught Dante the value of public service and he knows he wouldn’t be where he is today without the support of dedicated educators.

After graduation, Dante returned home to serve the community that raised him and has served on a variety of local non-profit and public service boards, including as Board Chair of the Wilson County Department of Social Services. He currently serves as a Captain in the North Carolina National Guard and works locally at Barton College.

Dante wants to make life easier for working families in eastern North Carolina. He will be a champion for affordable healthcare, public education, and economic opportunities.

His Experience

Captain, North Carolina National Guard

Board Chair, Wilson County Department of Social Services

Grants Chair, Wilson County Community Foundation

Board Member, Kiwanis Club of Wilson All-American

Board Member, WhirliDogs Training Center & Cafe

Board Member, Wilson Education Partnership

Board Member, OIC of Wilson

Vestry (Board) Member, St. Timothy's Episcopal Church

Fmr. Board Member, Wilson County Partnership for Children

Fmr. Board Member, Vollis Simpson Whirligig Park

Fmr. Visual Arts Committee, Arts Council of Wilson

Fmr. Board Member, Gig360 Young Professionals

Fmr. Ex-Officio Board Member, Wilson Chamber of Commerce

Fmr. Board Member, Freeman Round House & African-American Museum

On the Issues

Public Education

Public education is central to the success of this state and this community. The current Republican supermajority is taking hard-earned tax dollars out of the local schools to give to wealthy families in Raleigh and Charlotte so they can pay for private school that their kids already attend. Wilson County’s public schools are projected to lose $2.5 million because of Republican voucher schemes.

Meanwhile, our teachers are being forgotten, we have shortages in school support staff, and our children are paying the price. We know what our community schools can do when given a fair shot. Dante knows because he is a product of Wilson County Schools. The community needs strong public schools that value their teachers, encourage collaboration with parents and give our children the tools they need to succeed.

Dante will be a tireless advocate for better funding for our public schools, including increased teacher pay, more school counselors and support staff, and expanded Pre-K programs.

Healthcare Access

As the Board Chair of Wilson County Department of Social Services, Dante has seen the impact that accessible healthcare has on North Carolina residents. With the expansion of Medicaid, thousands of hard-working Wilson County residents are finally receiving healthcare services, but North Carolina’s families are still struggling with the high-cost of healthcare. We need to continue working to lower drug and prescription costs and improve telehealth options so healthcare is affordable and accessible to everyone.

North Carolinians deserve access to high-quality healthcare and talented doctors, and we have to fight to strengthen our public schools, lower housing costs, and stop the political overreach into our healthcare systems to make sure North Carolina is an attractive place to live for new doctors and healthcare providers.

Economic Development

North Carolina must invest in economic opportunities in places like Wilson and Nash Counties. We cannot afford for all of our opportunities and new businesses to be concentrated in urban areas. Dante is committed to making sure we are promoting our local economy by recruiting industries that will invest in high-quality paying jobs, connecting students to small business opportunities, and providing our small businesses with the necessary resources to thrive and survive.

When Dante sat on the Board of Directors for the Wilson Chamber of Commerce, one of the top metrics that were discussed was the number of community businesses that were opening and closing. Wilson is expanding and we are recruiting major corporations to have locations here in this community, but we cannot forget about our small businesses. We need a balanced approach in order to have a healthy future.

Why This Race Is Important

Republicans in North Carolina took advantage of their post-2022 majority on the NC Supreme Court and redrew legislative maps which have a Republican gerrymander that made some Democratic seats in suburbs in jeopardy. This rural seat would be crucial if Democrats are going to pick up one seat and break the Republican supermajority. While Joe Biden won this district in 2020, turnout in this district will be crucial for Democrats to win this seat.

Election Timeline

Last day to register for primary: February 9, 2024

Deadline to request absentee ballot (primary) February 27, 2024

Date of primary: March 5, 2024

Last day to register for general: October 11, 2024

Deadline to request absentee ballot (general) October 29, 2024

Date of general: November 5, 2024

About the District

House District 24 has had a few iterations over the last decade. This district used to be split in two, largely along a racial divide. In 2016 this divide was ended, as House District 24 now is all of Wilson County and Sharpsburg Precinct in Nash County. House District 24 is a 45-minute drive from Raleigh and Greenville, as Greenville has become a major hub for business opportunities coming to his community. House District 24 is always in the top 10 for unemployment in the state, however, in many years they’re in the top 10 of highest weekly wages. This tells us that we have opportunities in this district!

Past Results in District

2022 State House District 24 Results:
Democrat: 45.78%
Republican: 54.22%

2022 US Senate:
Democrat: 47.34%
Republican: 52.66%

2020 Presidential Election:
Biden: 49.90%
Trump: 49.10%

About the Opponent

Ken Fontenot, the current State House Representative, is a former Marine, a Pastor, and campaigns on being a teacher even though he is a leader in the school voucher conversation. Ken has called abortion, “black genocide” and has a near 100% Republican party line voting record.

Why North carolina is important

In 2022, Democrats were able to hold off a Republican supermajority in the NC House until a member changed parties granting the Republicans complete control of the Tarheel State. We need to win one seat in the NC House and Dante’s race is a must-win to accomplish that goal.

Candidate in the News

Pitman launches campaign for NC House seat

• “When I look at the extremism in the General Assembly, I have a simple belief: We can do better and we must do better,” Pittman told a crowd of about 50 supporters. “We must do better for our children. Instead of waving the white flag on education, let’s get innovative on how we support our students and our teachers. Let’s protect, promote and enhance our most precious investment — our public education system. Let’s renew the commitment to early childhood education.”

Fontenot, Pittman file for Wilson’s state House seat

• “We need more balance in North Carolina,” Pittman said. “It’s about leading with common sense. This isn’t about ideology. You lack balance and common sense under a supermajority like we have now.”