RALEIGH — After more than a decade in the General Assembly, Rep. John Hardister is resigning from the N.C. House.
“I’ve been told before by others who’ve served in public office that when the time comes and it’s time for you to step away, you’ll know. You’ll have clarity,” Hardister, a Republican from Guilford County, told North State Journal. His final day representing the 59th District will be April 8.
Hardister, who has represented Guilford County since 2012, ran for Labor commissioner but lost the Republican primary last month to Luke Farely, who had 36.94% of the vote in a four-candidate race with Hardister (28.05%), Chuck Stanley (21.6%) and Travis J. Wilson (13.41%). Hardister had been endorsed by outgoing Labor Commissioner Josh Dobson. Farley will face Braxton Winston II, who won the Democratic primary uncontested, in the general election.
A replacement for the remainder of Hardister’s House term, which concludes at the end of the year, will be named by the Guilford County Republican Party. That party will hold a meeting next Monday, and Hardister expects Alan Branson, the Republican nominee for his 59th District seat, to be selected.
During his time in the General Assembly, Hardister worked closely with state House Majority Leader John Bell and was the longest-serving majority whip in N.C. House history before deciding to run for Labor commissioner.
“The decision for me to exit the House had already been made,” Hardister said. “When I ran for Labor commissioner, by virtue of doing that, I had to give up my seat in the House. … Once the primary was held and I had time to process it all, think about it, I decided that this is the time for me to step away.”
Hardister said the decision came down to wanting to spend more time with his family, particularly his parents, and return to the private sector. That includes returning to work with his father at the mortgage company owned and operated by his family.
“I have a family business I work in,” said Hardister, who also said his mother’s battle with lung cancer influenced his decision. “I’ve been largely absent from that over the last decade-plus because I’ve been serving in the General Assembly. I’ve been involved, but it’s hard because when you serve in the General Assembly you’ve got to put a tremendous amount of time and energy into that.”
Hardister said he first ran for office in 2008 because of the impact of the Great Recession, and he’s most proud of the GOP’s commitment to the state’s economic growth and fiscal responsibility.
“The recession hit North Carolina very hard,” he said. “That was really, I think, the catalyst that propelled me into public service. … I had the honor of of serving and playing a role in cutting our taxes by over a billion dollars, paying off over $3 billion in debt, balancing the budget, creating a budget surplus and bringing a lot of new jobs to North Carolina — tens of thousands of jobs have been created.
“And CNBC rated North Carolina No. 1 for business two years in a row. I mean, that’s an incredible story.”
As for Hardister’s next chapter, he hasn’t ruled out a return to public service down the road.
“I’ll certainly consider getting back into running for office,” he said, “but that just depends on how things play out.”
