Democrat Braxton Winston and Republican Luke Farley engage in debate at Johnston County Community College in October. (Photo: Greg Childress)
Republican Luke Farley has been elected North Carolina’s next Commissioner of Labor, defeating his Democratic challenger Braxton Winston II.
The Associated Press projected Farley as the victor early Wednesday morning. As of 1:25 a.m., Farley had 52.76% of the vote to Winston’s 47.24% with almost all precincts reporting, according to the State Board of Elections.
The race featured two newcomers to state politics —Winston, a union stagehand and grip who served six years on the Charlotte City Council and Farley, an arch-conservative Raleigh attorney who entered the race without previous political experience.
Current Labor Commissioner Josh Dobson announced in late 2022 that he wouldn’t seek reelection after serving one term.
On the campaign trail, Winston, promised to bring change to the Department of Labor, which he and other critics say has been a sleepy and understaffed agency.
Winston said the previous two Republican commissioners — Dobson and Cherie Berry, known as the “Elevator Lady” because her photo was plastered on certificates hanging in every elevator in the state during her 20 years in office — have “intentionally eroded” safety protections for state workers.
Winston pledged to adequately staff the department with safety compliance officers to conduct inspections. He contends a quarter of such jobs are unfilled.
Meanwhile, Luke Farley promised to follow in the footsteps of Dobson and Berry. He said the two provided commonsense leadership that promoted job growth.
In her final term, Berry was roundly criticized for her COVID-19 response, including a ruling that the virus isn’t a workplace hazard, so no rules were needed to protect workers. Berry was also the subject of several media investigations during her tenure. She was accused of not protecting the health and safety of workers. Farley featured her image and endorsement prominently on his website.
Farley, whose practice focuses on construction law, cast himself as a “commonsense conservative” who will approach the job of labor commissioner without a political agenda. He said businesses and workers should both be treated as customers by the Labor Department.
The labor commissioner is a constitutional officer elected statewide. The commissioner serves a four-year term that runs concurrently with governor and other members of the Council of State. The commissioner is head of the Department of Labor and is charged by statute to promote the “health, safety and general well-being” of the state’s more than four million workers. The laws and program administered by the department affects every worker in the state.
Election night results are unofficial and vote totals will likely change over the coming days as local boards of election consider provisional, military, and overseas civilian ballots. The state Board of Elections is scheduled to meet Nov. 26 to certify the results.