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Last week, the North Carolina House of Representatives gaveled into a non-voting session, where they heard final speeches from outgoing members and made appointments to leadership positions. Among those appointments was State Representative Jake Johnson, who serves Polk, Henderson, Rutherford and McDowell counties. Johnson was appointed by his colleagues to serve as Deputy Whip of the NC House Republican Caucus for the 2023-2024 legislative session. 

Johnson was first appointed to the House in 2019, then won re-election in 2020 and 2022. He is a native of Polk County, where he previously served as Chair of the Board of Commissioners. In the House, he currently serves as Chairman of the IT Appropriations Committee and Vice-Chairman of Commerce and Appropriations. Johnson also sits on K-12 Education, Homeland Security, Regulatory Reform, and Wildlife Resources committees. At 28 years old, Johnson will be the youngest member of leadership in the North Carolina General Assembly. 

“I want to thank my constituents here in Western North Carolina for your confidence to continue representing you in the General Assembly. It has been the honor of a lifetime to fight for the values we believe in,” said Rep. Johnson. “I also want to express sincere gratitude to my colleagues in the General Assembly for entrusting me to serve as your Deputy Majority Whip this coming session. I look forward to using this role as an opportunity to produce real results that go beyond just talk and have a positive impact on people across this state.”

Despite the disappointment for Republicans in other states across the country, North Carolina saw huge gains for the GOP up and down the ballot. In Raleigh, Republicans will return with a majority on the Supreme Court and increased majorities in both legislative chambers; where the Senate will have a party-line supermajority and the House picked up 10 seats won by Joe Biden just 2 years before. 

 

Submitted by Megan Kluttz