George Wayne Goodwin (born February 22, 1967) is an American politician. He was elected North Carolina Commissioner of Insurance in the

2008 election This electoral calendar 2008 lists the national/federal direct elections held in 2008 in the de jure and de facto sovereign states and their dependent territories. Referendums are included, even though they are not elections. By-elections are no ...

and re-elected in

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...

. He was narrowly defeated in his bid for a third term in 2016. However, he quickly rebounded and was elected on February 11, 2017, as chairman of the

North Carolina Democratic Party The North Carolina Democratic Party (NCDP) is the North Carolina affiliate of the Democratic Party. It is headquartered in the historic Goodwin House, located in Raleigh. Governor Roy Cooper is a North Carolina Democrat. Since the 2010 passage ...

on the first ballot with 92% of the vote among four candidates. Goodwin previously served as a

Democratic Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

member of the North Carolina General Assembly representing the state's sixty-eighth

House A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air ...

district, including constituents in Richmond and Stanly counties. His prior district – the 32nd House district – also included Scotland and Montgomery Counties.

Political career

After serving as President of the Young Democrats of North Carolina, Goodwin served four full terms in the North Carolina state House. Goodwin campaigned as the Democratic nominee for the position of

North Carolina Commissioner of Labor The Commissioner of Labor is a statewide elected office in the U.S. state of North Carolina. The commissioner is a constitutional officer who leads the state's Department of Labor. North Carolina's general statues provide the commissioner with bro ...

in the 2004 election, losing in a close race to incumbent Republican Cherie Berry. Goodwin served as the Assistant

Commissioner of Insurance An insurance commissioner (or commissioner of insurance) is a public official in the executive branch of a state or territory in the United States who, along with his or her office, regulate the insurance industry. The powers granted to the office ...

and Assistant State

Fire Marshal A fire marshal, in the United States and Canada, is often a member of a state, provincial or territorial government, but may be part of a building department or a separate department altogether. Fire marshals' duties vary but usually in ...

for the State of North Carolina from 2005 through 2008. In 2008, Goodwin filed to run for Commissioner of Insurance after the surprise retirement of longtime Commissioner

Jim Long Jim Long (born Timothy John Moynihan; February 7, 1943 – May 30 2022) was an American entrepreneur, whose pioneering marketing concepts and creative “firsts” are iconic in the broadcast music industry. Experienced in the development of i ...

. Goodwin defeated David Smith in the Democratic primary 56%–43% and went on to beat Republican John Odom and Libertarian Mark McMains with 51.57% of the vote. He was sworn-in on January 10, 2009. Goodwin won re-election in the 2012 general contest by almost four percentage points. He was a candidate for re-election in 2016. After very narrowly losing the general election, Goodwin announced that he would run for chairman of the

. With the support of 92% of ballots cast, he was elected to lead the state party on Feb. 11, 2017. Two years later, in January 2019, Goodwin won unanimous re-election to a second term as chairman of the North Carolina Democratic Party. After completing a customary second term, Goodwin chose to refrain from a third term soon after his wife died from cancer and he had two children to raise. His first vice chair,

Bobbie Richardson Bobbie J. Richardson (born December 25, 1949) is an American politician. She is the former Chair of the North Carolina Democratic Party, former First Vice Chair of the North Carolina Democratic Party and a former Democratic member of the North C ...

, succeeded Goodwin as party chair. He unsuccessfully sought a third (non-consecutive) term as insurance commissioner in the

2020 election This national electoral calendar for 2020 lists the national/federal elections held in 2020 in all sovereign states and their dependent territories. By-elections are excluded, though national referendums are included. January *5 January: **Cro ...

. In 2022, Goodwin was appointed commissioner of the

North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles The North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles is the division of the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) which oversees driver licenses and vehicle registrations within the state of North Carolina, USA. The North Carolina Departm ...

. As commissioner, he lifted various restrictions for LGBT speech on vanity plates. Previously, vanity plates with LGBT content were not permitted by the Division. Under the direction of Goodwin, the DMV cracked down on racist and antisemitic vanity plates that had been approved due to creative spelling used to get around DMV restrictions.

Personal life

Goodwin was a Morehead Scholar and US Senate/William Randolph Hearst Scholar. He graduated from the

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase ''universitas magistrorum et scholarium'', which r ...

in political science and then went on to graduate from the UNC School of Law. He was married to

Melanie Wade Goodwin Melanie Wade Goodwin (July 22, 1970 – September 1, 2020) was an American politician who served in the North Carolina House of Representatives from the 66th district as a member of the Democratic Party. She was the first member of the North ...

, also a former state legislator and attorney, until her death at age 50 in 2020. They are the parents of two children.

Electoral history

References

External links

Wayne Goodwin campaign siteWayne's World
* * , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Goodwin, Wayne 1967 births 21st-century American politicians Living people Democratic Party members of the North Carolina House of Representatives North Carolina Commissioners of Insurance North Carolina Democratic Party chairs North Carolina lawyers People from Hamlet, North Carolina People from Rockingham, North Carolina University of North Carolina School of Law alumni