In December, District 59 North Carolina state Rep. Jon Hardister said he was considering running for NC commissioner of labor and would make an announcement after the holidays.

On Wednesday, Jan. 4, one day after folks got back to work after the holidays, Hardister made the announcement that he would run for NC commissioner of labor in 2024.

In December, Hardister said that he had considered running for labor commissioner in 2020, but decided not to run after current Commissioner of Labor Josh Dobson announced his candidacy.  Hardister said, “Josh is a good friend of mine and I knew he would be a great commissioner of labor.”  In December after Dobson announced he would not run for reelection in 2024, Hardister announced he was giving serious consideration to running to replace him.

In a tweet announcing his candidacy on Jan. 4, Hardister stated, “Today I am announcing my candidacy to serve as the next Labor Commissioner for North Carolina. With over 10 years of experience in state government, and over 20 years of experience in the private sector, I am ready to take on this new role. #ncga#ncpol”

In 2022, Hardister was elected to his sixth term in the state House and he has served as the House majority whip since 2016.  When elected he became the youngest majority whip in history and is now the longest serving majority whip.

Hardister said, “I still have a passion for public service and the motivation for it, but 12 years is a long time and I feel like it’s time for me to step up and do something different.  It will also open the door for someone new to take my House seat.”

The commissioner of labor is a member of the NC Council of State, which is made up of 10 statewide elected officials that also includes the governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, superintendent of public instruction, commissioner of agriculture, commissioner of insurance, secretary of state, state auditor and treasurer.

The current Council of State has three members from Guilford County, Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, Commissioner of Agriculture Steve Troxler and Commissioner of Insurance Mike Causey.

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