Hardister joins N. Carolina labor commissioner field for ’24

GREENSBORO, N.C. (AP) — A second North Carolina legislator is running for state labor commissioner in 2024, as Rep. Jon Hardister announced his candidacy on Wednesday.

The Guilford County Republican said he decided to run after current GOP Commissioner Josh Dobson announced last month he wouldn’t seek a second four-year term.

Hardister, who won a sixth House term in November, is the House majority whip. He said he still plans to serve out his latest two-year term in the General Assembly.

“My passion for public service has remained strong over these years, and I now believe it is time to elevate my service to a new level,” Hardister said in a news release. Hardister is in the marketing field, having worked for his family’s mortgage brokerage business.

Second-term GOP Rep. Ben Moss of Richmond County already announced two weeks ago his bid to succeed Dobson.

”The last 20-plus years of my life have set the stage to uniquely qualify me to cut through bureaucracy and make the government work better for the people,” Moss, who has been a CSX railroad engineer, said in a news release.

Formal candidate filing for the March 2024 primary begins this coming December.