In the late hours of Nov. 5, North Carolina decisively awarded its 16 electoral votes to President Donald Trump, marking the 13th Republican victory in the state’s last 15 presidential elections. Only Jimmy Carter in 1976 and Barack Obama in 2008 interrupted this streak. By the next day, Republicans had secured control of the North Carolina legislature, falling just one vote short of a veto-proof majority.

Despite this strong record in national and legislative races, pundits and optimistic Democrats still label North Carolina a “purple state.” The reason? A puzzling trend: While North Carolinians reliably vote Republican for president, the legislature, and the judiciary, they continue to elect Democrats to the state’s highest executive offices.

Dan Bishop knows where corruption runs deep within the department — and he’s ready to wield a meat cleaver to eliminate it from the start.

In the past 50 years, despite Republican dominance in presidential elections, North Carolina has elected only three Republican governors — Jim Holshouser, Jim Martin, and Pat McCrory. No Republican has served as attorney general in the state since Reconstruction.

With President Trump likely to run strong at the top of the ticket, 2024 presented Republicans with their best chance in years to end the party’s drought in the attorney general’s office. Rep. Dan Bishop (R), one of the House’s most effective conservative litigators, has earned a reputation for his sharp cross-examinations of Biden administration officials, including Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. Leaving a clear path to re-election in North Carolina's 8th Congressional District, he decided to enter the race for state attorney general.

Unfortunately for Republicans, their gubernatorial candidate, Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, was caught on video making remarks that were, to put it mildly, undiplomatic. Democrats seized on these comments, unleashing a relentless wave of attack ads targeting Robinson. The barrage not only hurt Robinson but also created a drag effect on other high-profile Republican candidates, including Bishop and lieutenant governor candidate Hal Weatherman. Robinson’s loss to incumbent Attorney General Josh Stein proved too heavy to overcome, pulling down Bishop, Weatherman, and other Council of State candidates with him. Although Bishop and Weatherman ran much closer races than Robinson, the downdraft from the top of the ticket was insurmountable.

Yet as the saying goes, every cloud has a silver lining. In this case, North Carolina's loss could become America’s gain.

The U.S. Senate already features some of the fiercest conservative cross-examiners, including Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), and John Kennedy (R-La.). But if any House member has matched — or even surpassed — their impact, it’s Bishop. Known for his relentless and incisive questioning, he has proven himself as formidable as these renowned Senate interrogators.

A quick YouTube search reveals Bishop’s shocking effectiveness in cross-examining Democratic witnesses and defending President Trump’s border security policies. His sharp, relentless approach has repeatedly highlighted the dangers of the Democrats' open-border stance.

One of his standout moments came in 2022 when he confronted Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. In a heated exchange, Bishop told Mayorkas, “You are one of the most assiduous bureaucrats I have ever seen at evading and filibustering responses when members have just five minutes to question you.”

Just over a month ago, Bishop brought mothers who had lost loved ones to crimes by illegal immigrants before the House Judiciary Committee, giving them a platform to share their stories. He reminded the committee of Kate Steinle, killed by an illegal immigrant on a San Francisco pier in 2015, emphasizing the human cost of unsecured borders.

Before his election to Congress, Bishop was known as one of North Carolina’s top commercial litigators. He appeared in Business North Carolina’s “Legal Elite” 10 times and was named a “Super Lawyer” seven times. Unlike President Trump’s 2017 attorney general pick, Jeff Sessions — whose main credential was early support for Trump — Bishop offers both staunch advocacy of Trump’s policies and a fierce commitment to tackling illegal immigration, stopping fentanyl, and addressing corruption within the Justice Department.

Respected by law enforcement, Bishop was endorsed by the North Carolina Police Benevolent Association and most sheriffs in the state. His unmatched tenacity, legal skill, and dedication to law enforcement make him a formidable candidate for attorney general.

One of President Trump’s top priorities must be restoring integrity to the Department of Justice, allowing Americans to have confidence in a fair judicial system free from partisan manipulation. Dan Bishop is best positioned to lead this effort. With firsthand experience on the House Judiciary Committee and the Weaponization of Government Committee, he has witnessed the Biden administration’s misuse of the DOJ to target individuals based on political beliefs for the benefit of the Democratic Party. Bishop knows where corruption runs deep within the department — and he’s ready to wield a meat cleaver to eliminate it from the start.

When President Trump evaluated a strong field of candidates for his vice presidential pick, he chose a true superstar in Senator JD Vance (R-Ohio). Appointing Dan Bishop as attorney general would add another powerhouse to Trump’s Cabinet — a conservative superstar committed to dismantling the corruption that has tainted America’s justice system and eroded public trust.

With Bishop at the helm, the Justice Department would swiftly move back toward accountability and integrity. He would be the anti-Garland: a professional lawyer with an outstanding track record devoted to integrity, blind justice, and the immediate de-weaponization of the government. Political prosecutors would be rooted out, and the Democrats’ manipulation of the Department of Justice would end on day one.