Jake Johnson announces bid for State House District 113 

 

COLUMBUS—Polk County Commissioner Jake Johnson, who was the youngest commissioner in the county and one of the youngest elected officials in the state of North Carolina, has announced he is running for State House District 113.  

Johnson (R) was the high vote getter for Polk County Commissioner in 2016 at the age of 22 and served as the county commissioner chair in 2017.  

Johnson will file in December for State House District 113, which serves Polk, Transylvania and most of Henderson counties. The seat is currently held by Cody Henson (R), who has announced he will not seek re-election.  

The election will be in November 2020, with the primary in March 2020. The first filing for financials for the seat is at the end of June 2019.  

“I am beyond blessed to be surrounded by family and friends who have been nothing but supportive as I make the decision about my political future,” Johnson said Wednesday. “I have decided to announce my candidacy for State House District 113.”  

Johnson is from Saluda and said he grew up on a farm and learned first-hand the conservative values that make North Carolina the greatest state in the nation.  

“After being the first one in my family to go to college, I came back home to serve the community that had made me who I am,” he said. 

Johnson said he was honored and humbled to be appointed chairman of the board of commissioners. He said for the next year he oversaw a list of accomplishments in the county, including taking the county unemployment rate to the lowest it has been in modern history, working with the school board to create a school system that would become number one in the state, pay increases for county employees, the construction of a new law enforcement facility and hosting the largest sporting event in the United States last year, which was the World Equestrian Games at the Tryon International Equestrian Center.  

“This event brought millions in economic impact to North Carolina,” Johnson said. “We were able to do all of these things without raising the tax rate.”  

Johnson’s term as county commissioner will be up in 2020. Instead of filing for re-election this December, he will file for the state house, but will finish out his county term.  

Johnson is a realtor for Berkshire Hathoway in Hendersonville.  

If elected to the state, Johnson would be the first state representative from Polk County to serve in modern history. He is the first to announce his candidacy for District 113 so far.  

“I am a principled conservative who has a vision for western North Carolina and for what I would like to see done in Raleigh,” said Johnson. “If I am blessed enough to be your representative, I will stand up for your second amendment rights guaranteed to you by the constitution. I will fight for the lives of unborn and the born, protecting the sanctity of life. I will put an emphasis on not only economic development, but education and workforce development as well; making sure all of our students have the tools they need to succeed no matter what path they choose. I will do this by encouraging all paths of education, whether that’s a four-year university, a community college, or one of our state’s great trade schools.”  

Johnson has a website to learn more at jakefornc.com.  There is also a video posted Wednesday about his campaign on his Jake Johnson for NC State House Facebook Page at jakeat https://www.facebook.com/jakefornc/videos/421168298707023/. 

“I am proud of where I come from and my record of service,” he said. “I will continue the conservative values I hold dear. I ask everyone for their prayers and support as I begin this campaign.”