Just one day after the General Election, North Carolina Commissioner of Labor Josh Dobson resigned from office.
He submitted his resignation to Gov. Roy Cooper, which will become effective at 5 pm on Wednesday.
Dobson was elected to the position in 2020.
“I am grateful for the last 14 years I have been able to serve in elected office and the opportunity to be your commissioner of labor,” Dobson said in a released statement. “After 21 years of public service, I look forward to pursuing new opportunities in the private sector. I want to thank the employees at the N.C. Department of Labor for all of their hard work and service to the State of North Carolina. It has been a tremendous honor to work with them over the last four years ensuring the safety and health of all North Carolinians.”
He announced in December 2022 that he would not be seeking re-election. He also said he would not be a candidate for any other office.
Dobson said that when this term is up, he will have served 14 consecutive years in three different offices. He got his start in public office as a county commissioner in McDowell County, where he served for two years. He was appointed to the N.C. House of Representatives in 2013, after Mitch Gillespie resigned, and served until 2020 when he was elected commissioner of labor.
Republican newcomer Luke Farley will take over the role in January. He received 53% (2,882,169) of the vote in the General Election compared to former Charlotte City Councilman Braxton Winston II’s 47% (2,571,772).