Teacher, ex-mayor Cochran running for lieutenant governor

MOUNT AIRY (AP) The former mayor of a North Carolina town says she’s running for the Republican nomination for lieutenant governor in 2020.

Deborah Cochran is a Winston-Salem high school teacher who was mayor of Mount Airy for more than five years until 2015. Cochran said that co-workers encouraged her to run. She says economic development, job creation and mental health and substance abuse prevention would be on her agenda if elected.

Cochran also was a Mount Airy radio personality for 35 years and aerobics instructor at the region’s community college.

The state Constitution prevents current second-term GOP Lt. Gov. Dan Forest from running again. Forest is expected to run for governor.

Cochran says she’ll set up campaign paperwork over the next week or so.