GREENSBORO, N.C. (WGHP) – Jon Hardister, the Republican who has represented parts of Guilford County in the North Carolina House of Representatives since 2012, is considering a higher calling.
Hardister confirmed to WGHP what first was reported by The Carolina Journal that he is considering a run for commissioner of labor in 2024.
Josh Dobson, a fellow Republican, announced his retirement last week during a meeting of the Council of State, the group of cabinet-level leaders elected statewide (secretary of State; state auditor; treasurer; superintendent of Public Instruction; attorney general; and commissioners of Agriculture, Labor, and Insurance) along with the governor and lieutenant governor. Dobson replaced long-serving former Labor Commissioner Cheri Berry, who earned the nickname "elevator lady" after she made the change to add the commissioner of labor's photo to NCDOL notices in elevators.
“I’m leaning towards running,” Hardister told WGHP in a text message. “At this time I am seeking input from family, friends and people across North Carolina.
“My plan is to give it thought over the holidays and make a decision in January.”
Hardister, 40, of Whitsett, was the GOP nominee in District 57 in 2010 (when he was 28), but he lost to Rep. Pricey Harrison (D-Greensboro). In 2012 he moved to District 59, where he was won easily even as redistricting moved that district farther into eastern Guilford County.
Although his district appears more competitive than in previous years, Hardister easily won his latest term on Nov. 8 by getting 56.4% of the vote against political neophyte Sherrie Young.
After Republicans cemented their control in the General Assembly in November, Hardister was re-elected to a fourth term as the majority whip of the House, which The Carolina Journal said makes him the longest-serving and youngest majority whip in state history.
A little more than a year ago, Hardister, who is considered on the moderate end of the conservative spectrum, briefly considered a run for Congress in what was for the moment an open seat in the 7th Congressional District on an electoral map drawn by the General Assembly.
But that map was found by the courts to be an unconstitutional partisan gerrymander and was restructured by special masters appointed by NC Supreme Court. Republicans and Democrats ultimately divided the 14 seats.
Hardister’s decision then not to run was affected by a crowded field of announced Republican candidates – including Bo Hines, an acolyte of former President Donald Trump who ultimately lost in the 13th District – and the knowledge that former Rep. Mark Walker was being encouraged by Trump to leave the Senate race and run in that district, which didn’t happen.
Hardister said at the time that he was “confident that I have the skills to be an effective member of Congress” but that there was “more that I would like to accomplish in the state legislature before embarking on a new chapter in my career. “
You may recognize Dobson’s name because he’s responsible for replacing the images of Cheri Berry in every elevator in the state. Berry had served five terms but did not seek re-election in 2020.
The Department of Labor is responsible for workers and their safety, including the inspections such as those that occurred at the Weaver Fertilizer plant in Winston-Salem that caught fire in February and the fines levied against the company.
Dobson, 41, said he wouldn’t run again and was leaving public life after serving in McDowell County for about a decade.
“When this term is up, I will have served 14 consecutive years in three different offices, and I feel the time is right for me to step out of elected office,” Dobson told The Associated Press. “It’s nothing more and it’s nothing less than that.”
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