Incumbent Renee Ellmers Religion Catholic Education Marist College | Political party Republican Party Republican Party | |
Full Name James David Duncan Born November 5, 1947 (age 69)
New York, New York, United States ( 1947-11-05 ) Spouse(s) Betsy Duncan (nee Kirby) Alma mater Marist College,
Poughkeepsie, New York Residence Durham, North Carolina, United States Opponent Renee Ellmers (Republican Party) | ||
Jim Duncan (born November 5, 1947) is an American politician who is seeking the Republican party's nomination for North Carolina's 2nd congressional district. He is a member of the Republican Party.
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Early life, education, and business career
Jim Duncan was born the son of a South Carolina native and WWII Sailor turned police officer in New York. Duncan was born New York, New York where his father was serving as a Police Officer. Duncan says he spent the first 12 years of his life in a Queens housing project, but later moved “uptown” to The Bronx. His father was originally from Anderson, South Carolina. Duncan’s mother took a job on the wait staff at a Howard Johnson’s in New York City. Jim grew up in modest circumstances, yet because of the hard work of his parents he was able to focus on building a better life and to live the American dream.
Dedicated to his studies, Jim Duncan worked his way through school and became the first person in his family to achieve a higher education degree. Graduating from Marist College in 1969, Jim decided to follow in his father's footsteps and joined the military serving in the Army National Guard for five years. In business, Jim found his home in the emerging high-tech industry. Jim began working in the High Tech equipment leasing and Disaster Recovery Services after college. He worked hard and became successful in his field. He was recognized by Fortune magazine as one of America's greatest sales people. He earned numerous work rewards and Salesman of the year and was further honored by the La Salle Christian Brothers.
He is of Irish, Scotch and Russian origins.
Jim is a member of the Boys and Girls Club of Durham (NC).
Political Activism
Jim is a member of the Jesse Helms Center and a founding member of the Coalition for American Principles (CAP), a non-partisan citizens group devoted to the concept of limited government.
Duncan joined the Chatham GOP team and raised the bar by creating a much larger Republican presence in a county dominated by Democrats. Jim ran for and won the position of Chairman of the Chatham GOP in 2010. Duncan had a remarkable positive effect on Chatham County’s GOP operation from the beginning. He was a leader in orchestrating a conservative takeover of the county board of commissioners and greater conservative representation on the county school board.
In 2013, Jim Duncan considered running for the Second District Congressional seat for the 2014 Election cycle. However, in the fall of 2013, Jim decided not to run against Ellmers.
In January, 2015 local dissatisfaction among Conservatives in the Second District led to rumors and suggestions that Jim Duncan reconsider a run for the seat held by "Big Government Barbie", Renee Ellmers. Jim Duncan publicly denounced Renee Ellmer's stance with anti-amnesty legislation.
In February 2015, Jim Duncan announced the formation of a "Testing the Waters" committee to examine a run for the North Carolina's 2nd congressional district seat.
2016 Congressional Candidacy
In April, 2015, Jim Duncan's team made the announcement that he would seek the 2nd District seat. Worries over Renee Ellmer's move on the "Pain Capable Unborn Child Protection Act" are believed to have moved Jim to action.