North Carolina Labor Commissioner Josh Dobson resigned Wednesday, one day after voters elected his eventual replacement.
Dobson, a Republican completing his first term, released a statement through the Department of Labor. His resignation is effective at 5 p.m. Wednesday.
Other WRAL Top Stories
"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," said Dobson, who previously served eight years in the state legislature.
"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."
Republican Luke Farley won the election to be commissioner of labor Tuesday night, defeating Democrat Braxton Winston II. Farley won with 52.8% of the vote, according to unofficial results from the State Board of Elections. Farley, who has been a lawyer in the Triangle for the last decade-plus, won a contested GOP primary in March.
Dobson won office in 2020 after Cherie Berry, who was widely known as “The Elevator Queen," retired. In 2022, Dobson announced he would not seek a second term.