Pittenger -- Lieutenant Governor for NC

Senator Robert Pittenger (R-Mecklenburg) was first elected to the North Carolina Senate in 2002 and is presently serving his third term. His primary focus has been efficiency reforms and common sense solutions to issues facing North Carolina.

Senator Pittenger championed medical malpractice reform to help curb costs for doctors and hospitals as well as for all businesses that provide health insurance benefits. Additionally, he proposed innovative fraud detection technology that could save taxpayers over $100 million in the Medicaid program, and sponsored legislation to eliminate wasteful government spending. He has traveled throughout the state offering a restructure of state government that could save taxpayers over $1 billion annually.

Senator Pittenger has also sponsored legislation to address North Carolina’s illegal immigration crisis. This legislation would require a valid passport from non-U.S. citizens to obtain a driver’s license and ban state contracts and incentives to companies who knowingly hire illegals.

Education has been a top priority for Senator Pittenger. He has co-sponsored legislation to allow local school boards to consider merit pay when awarding raises. In addition, Senator Pittenger has supported legislation to increase the number of charter schools in North Carolina.

Senator Pittenger is President of the Foundation for NC Future, which has been a forum for reform initiatives involving economists and business leaders throughout the state. The Foundation has advocated restructure reforms through a letter writing campaign and radio and TV advertisements. As a result of these efforts, legislative leaders have now endorsed proposals for performance audits and zero-based budgeting. The Foundation distributed a Preparedness Manual for terrorist attacks, natural disasters, and pandemic outbreaks to over 800,000 homes in Mecklenburg, Gaston, Union, Cabarrus, Forsyth, Brunswick, and York, SC. For two years, the Foundation has sponsored a weekly television program and a statewide radio ad campaign.

Senator Pittenger was awarded the 2005 Taxpayers Advocate Award by Americans for Prosperity in 2005 and also serves as Chair of the North Carolina Taxpayer Protection Caucus with Americans for Tax Reform. He also servers on the boards of the Jesse Helms Educational Foundation, CPCC Foundation, Presbyterian Hospital Foundation, and Davidson College Board of Visitors.

Senator Pittenger is President of Robert Pittenger Company, a real estate investment firm, attends Central Church of God, and has been married twenty-nine years to his wife Suzanne and they have four grown children.

Senator Pittenger graduated from the University of Texas in 1970 and majored in Political Science and Psychology. He is also a graduate of the Kennedy School of Government Executive Program in 2004.