James Daniel Bishop (born July 1, 1964) is an American attorney and politician serving as the United States attorney for the Middle District of North Carolina. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as the Deputy Director of the Office of Management and Budget in 2025, as a U.S. representative from North Carolina from 2019 to 2025, as a North Carolina state senator from 2017 to 2019, as a member of the North Carolina House of Representatives from 2015 to 2017, and as a member of the Mecklenburg County Commission from 2005 to 2009.
Bishop was the lead author of North Carolina's Public Facilities Privacy & Security Act, commonly called the bathroom bill, which prohibited transgender people from using public restrooms other than those of the sex listed on their birth certificates. As a result of backlash, North Carolina lost a significant amount of revenue from companies and other organizations who chose to withdraw their investments in the state.
On September 10, 2019, Bishop won the special election to the U.S. House of Representatives with 50.7% of the vote to Dan McCready's 48.7%.Live results: North Carolina elections, Politico, September 10, 2019.Republican Dan Bishop wins special election for House seat in North Carolina special election, NBC News projects, NBC News, September 10, 2019. Bishop ran for re-election in 2022 in North Carolina's 8th congressional district, following the 2020 census and subsequent litigation contesting the maps drawn by the General Assembly. In the 2022 U.S. congressional election, Bishop won reelection to his seat with 69.9% of the vote. In 2024, Bishop retired from Congress to run unsuccessfully for attorney general, losing to Democrat Jeff Jackson.
On December 10, 2024, President-elect Donald Trump announced his intention to nominate Bishop as the deputy director of the Office of Management and Budget. He was confirmed by the Senate on March 26, 2025. He served in that position for nearly eight months until President Donald Trump appointed Bishop to become the interim United States attorney for the Middle District of North Carolina.
Early life and education Bishop received a B.S. in business administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1986 and a J.D. from the University of North Carolina School of Law in 1990.NC Senate District 39: Dan Bishop faces Lloyd Scher, Charlotte Observer (October 18, 2016).
County Commission and North Carolina House of Representatives (2005–2016) Bishop was a member of the Mecklenburg County Commission from 2004 to 2008. After a six-year absence from politics, he was elected to the North Carolina House of Representatives from a south Charlotte seat for a single term (2015–17), running against a Libertarian opponent, Eric Cable, but without a Democratic one.Fred Clasen-Kelly, NC House District 104: Former county commissioner re-emerges as leader for state House seat, Charlotte Observer (November 4, 2014). Bishop's district was House District 104. He succeeded Ruth Samuelson, who retired from the House.
North Carolina State Senate
Bishop won his North Carolina State Senate District 39 seat in November 2016 to succeed Bob Rucho, who was not seeking reelection. He received 58,739 votes (52.81%), defeating Democrat Lloyd Scher, who received 44,655 (47.19%).
During the 2017–18 legislative session, Bishop co-chaired the Select Committee on Judicial Reform and Redistricting, was vice-chair of the Select Committee on Elections, and a member of several other committees.Senator Dan Bishop (Rep): Committee Assignments, 2017-2018 Session , North Carolina General Assembly.
Bishop has attracted attention for statements attacking journalists, which have been likened to statements by Donald Trump.Billy Corriher, Meet the N.C. legislator who invested in the alt-right's social media platform, Facing South, Institute for Southern Studies (November 2, 2018). On one occasion, he criticized the Raleigh press corps over coverage of the state budget, calling them the "jihad media."Colin Campbell, NC senator blasts 'jihad media' on Twitter in response to budget article, News & Observer (June 22, 2017).
Bathroom bill and backlash Bishop was the architect of the Public Facilities Privacy & Security Act, or House Bill2.Colin Campbell, Rep. Dan Bishop: Leader of House Bill 2, Charlotte Observer (April 23, 2016).Steve Harrison, N.C. Gov Pat McCrory signs into law bill restricting LGBT protections, Charlotte Observer (March 23, 2016). This controversial "bathroom bill" restricted transgender people from using gender-segregated public facilities other than those identified for use by their sex as listed on their birth certificates. The bill, signed into law by Governor Pat McCrory, also invalidated a local nondiscrimination law passed by the Charlotte City Council and prohibited any local government in North Carolina from enacting new protections for gay, lesbian, or transgender people. Bishop used his sponsorship of HB2 in fundraising emails, stating that he stood up to the "radical transgender agenda". His role in promoting HB2 raised his profile.
In 2017, after a public backlash against the legislation and economic harms of $3.7 billion, HB2 was repealed and replaced with new compromise legislation brokered between Governor Roy Cooper and the leadership of the state legislature. Bishop was the sole senator to make a floor speech against HB2's revocation, calling it a "betrayal of principle".Colin Campbell, Craig Jarvis & Lynn Bonner, NC Senate, House approve HB2 repeal compromise, News & Observer (March 30, 2017). In emails from Bishop subsequently made public under North Carolina's public-records law, Bishop compared LGBT rights activists to the Taliban.Erik Spanberg, EXCLUSIVE: Inside HB 2 author's legislative emails on LGBT issues, Charlotte Business Journal (June 9, 2016).
After the release of a video showing a group of people following McCrory, shouting "shame" and calling him a bigot, Bishop said he would introduce legislation "to make it a crime to threaten, intimidate, or retaliate against a present or former North Carolina official in the course of, or on account of, the performance of his or her duties."Abbie Bennett, Does Pat McCrory need protection? One NC senator thinks so, News & Observer (January 23, 2017).
U.S. House of Representatives
Elections 2019 special election
On March 14, 2019, Bishop entered the 9th congressional district special election. He won the May 14 Republican primary with 47% of the vote.Republican voters nominate N.C. state lawmaker who sponsored controversial 'bathroom bill' in 9th Congressional District race The Washington Post, Felicia Sonmez and Amy Gardner, May 14, 2019. Retrieved June 29, 2019.North Carolina 9th District special election results, The Washington Post, May 14, 2019. Retrieved June 29, 2019. The election had been called after the results of the regular election were thrown out due to irregularities with absentee ballots in the district's eastern portion. The Republican nominee in that contest, Mark Harris, had defeated Democrat Dan McCready by 905 votes, the closest race in the district in decades. Much of the district's share of Mecklenburg County had not been represented by a Democrat since 1953, and the 9th has been in Republican hands without interruption since it was configured as a Charlotte-based district in 1963.
In the September 10 general election, Bishop defeated McCready, 50.7% to 48.7%. He won mainly by dominating the more rural areas of the district, as well as Union County, the district's largest whole county. The closeness of the race was remarkable given the 9th's heavy Republican bent on paper; it had a Cook Partisan Voting Index of R+8.
2020 election
2022 election
Tenure Bishop took office on September 17, 2019.
Bishop, along with all other Senate and House Republicans, voted against the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021.
2020 presidential election On January 6, 2021, Bishop was one of 147 Republican lawmakers who objected to the certification of electoral votes from the 2020 presidential election after a mob of Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol and forced an emergency recess of Congress. Later that month, he voted against a failed attempt to impeach Trump for his alleged role in inciting the mob to storm the Capitol.
Iraq In June 2021, Bishop was one of 49 House Republicans to vote to repeal the AUMF against Iraq.
Israel Bishop voted to provide Israel with support following 2023 Hamas attack on Israel.
Defense In July 2022, Bishop was the only House Republican to vote for an amendment that would have cut the proposed defense budget by $100 billion. On the same day, Bishop was one of 14 Republicans to vote for a separate amendment that would have removed a proposed $37 billion spending increase in the defense budget.
Committee assignments Committee on Homeland Security Subcommittee on Counterterrorism, Law Enforcement, and Intelligence Subcommittee on Oversight, Investigations, and Accountability (Chairman) Committee on the Judiciary Subcommittee on the Administrative State, Regulatory Reform, and Antitrust Subcommittee on the Constitution and Limited Government Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government
Caucus memberships Source:
Freedom Caucus Republican Study Committee Border Security Caucus Congressional FFA Caucus Congressional Prayer Caucus Election Integrity Caucus Values Action Team
Financial contributions to the social network Gab In August 2017, Bishop contributed $500 toward the establishment of the social network Gab, a website criticized for its white supremacist and far-right content.Jim Morrill, NC lawmaker says he's being 'smeared' for investment in site tied to white supremacists, Charlotte Observer (October 31, 2018). He said he made the contribution in response to what he called a California "tech giants' Big Brother routine", referring to companies such as PayPal and Facebook canceling accounts used by organizers and funders of the Unite the Right rally, in Charlottesville, Virginia. Bishop's crowdfunding contribution attracted attention the next year, after the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting. He responded that he was being "smeared", saying, "I don't use Gab, but if its management allows its users to promote violence, anti-Semitism, and racism on the platform they have misled investors and they will be gone quickly, and rightfully so." The contribution came up again a week after the 2019 El Paso shooting and a month before Bishop's House election. A group called Stand Up Republic aired criticism of his contribution to Gab as part of a $500,000 advertising campaign. Bishop criticized the advertising, calling it "defamatory".
2024 attorney general election
Bishop was the Republican candidate for the office of attorney general in North Carolina in 2024. Despite Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump's statewide victory in North Carolina, Bishop was defeated by Democratic candidate, and fellow congressman Jeff Jackson 51% to 49%.
Trump administration On December 10, 2024, President-elect Donald Trump announced his intention to nominate Bishop as the deputy director of the Office of Management and Budget. He was confirmed by the Senate on March 26, 2025. He served in that position for nearly eight months until President Donald Trump appointed Bishop to become the interim United States Attorney for the Middle District of North Carolina; He was confirmed for the position by the United States Senate in May. In April 2026, Bishop was named prosecutor of election fraud in the U.S. Department of Justice.
Personal life Bishop is Methodist.
Electoral history
References
External links
Congressman Dan Bishop official U.S. House website Campaign website Dan Bishop at Ballotpedia Our Campaigns – Dan Bishop (NC) profile