10/23/2026
HOW THE NORTH CAROLINA FOP ENDORSES CANDIDATES
Your Voice. Your Lodge. Your Vote.
Endorsement season brings strong opinions, and it should. Law enforcement officers care about who represents them, and they deserve to understand how endorsements made in their name are decided.
So, how does the North Carolina Fraternal Order of Police (NC FOP) endorse candidates?
🔹 IT STARTS WITH YOU.
FOP endorsements aren’t decided by paid staff or behind closed doors. They are driven by our membership through their local lodges and elected representatives.
Every lodge in North Carolina has representation on the State Lodge Board of Directors and a voice at State Conference. When the Board votes, lodges across the state have a seat at the table.
🔹 WHO MAKES ENDORSEMENTS?
Our Constitution establishes clear guidelines:
🇺🇸 President of the United States
Only the National FOP Board of Trustees may endorse a presidential candidate. The Board consists of elected representatives from across the country. State and local lodges cannot endorse presidential candidates, and presidential campaigns seeking endorsements are referred to the National Lodge.
🏛️ Statewide Offices
Endorsements for U.S. Senate, Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, and other statewide offices are made exclusively by the NC FOP State Lodge Board of Directors, which represents lodges throughout North Carolina.
🗳️ U.S. Congress & NC General Assembly
These endorsements are determined by the local lodge or lodges within the district. Each lodge must poll its membership. When a district includes multiple lodges, all affected lodges are notified and invited to participate.
đź“Ť Local Offices
Local endorsements begin with local lodges. For certain races, a local lodge may request the additional support of the State Lodge after making its endorsement.
The decision begins and remains with the local lodge. Unless the State Lodge formally issues its own endorsement, a local lodge’s endorsement represents that lodge alone.
🔹 WE DON’T CHASE CANDIDATES.
The FOP doesn’t solicit candidates to seek our endorsement. Candidates must approach us, demonstrate an understanding of our organization and its members, and earn our support.
Candidates seeking endorsement information should be directed to a member of the State Executive Board.
🔹 COMMITTEES VET. MEMBERS DECIDE.
Our committees research candidates, review their records, and ask the tough questions. But committees do not make the final endorsement decisions.
Those decisions rest with our membership through local lodges and the representatives they elect.
Our members have a voice in every endorsement.
🔹 RUN BY COPS. REPRESENTED BY COPS.
The FOP is a fraternal organization led by law enforcement officers. Our State and National Presidents are career law enforcement officers who have worn the badge, worked the shifts, and understand the challenges our members face.
When the FOP endorses a candidate, that endorsement comes through a process led by law enforcement officers, representing law enforcement officers.
đź’› YOUR VOICE MATTERS.
If you want a say in who the FOP supports, get involved in your local lodge. Attend meetings. Ask questions. Participate in the process.
Because the voice of the North Carolina FOP begins with YOU.
