Hardister posts strong fundraising numbers in GOP Labor Commissioner race | Eastern North Carolina Now

    Publisher's Note: This post appears here courtesy of the Carolina Journal. The author of this post is Alex Baltzegar.

    Rep. Jon Hardister, R-Guilford, has reported potentially record-setting fundraising totals for the NC Labor Commissioner race, according to a recent press release.

    In the announcement, Hardister revealed that his campaign concluded the 2023 mid-year cycle with approximately $280,000 cash on hand (COH), a total that positions him well for the upcoming election. Hardister expressed appreciation for the support received and emphasized the importance of the Labor Commissioner's office for all North Carolinians.

    "The Department of Labor is critical to North Carolina's workers and employers, and I am confident that I have the skillset to perform the duties of this office in a fair, effective, and professional manner," Hardister said. "With over 10 years of experience in state government, and over 20 years of experience in the private sector, I am uniquely qualified to serve in this new role."

    "I will work to make North Carolina a place where job creation is strong, and workers are prosperous," Hardister said.

    Hardister's $280,000 haul is a substantial amount of money to have raised at this point in a Republican labor commissioner primary.

    The cash on hand (COH) total is nearly 3.5 times greater than the comparable figure for Josh Dobson, the outgoing Republican labor commissioner, in 2019 and almost 10 times more than Cherie Berry's COH in 2015, both of whom won their elections.

    As the campaign gains momentum, Hardister's impressive fundraising positions him well for the upcoming primary election in March of 2024.

    Two other candidates, Travis Wilson, R-Union, and Luke Farley, R-Wake, are vying for the nomination.

    One of Hardister's chief GOP rivals, Rep. Ben Moss, R-Moore, announced he was dropping out of the race earlier this week, citing time with family as his reason for discontinuing his bid. Moss posted poor fundraising numbers for the half, raising less than $20,000 on the year.