Politics

Sen. Moffitt listed as 'special guest' in fundraiser for Rep. Johnson's challenger

By RAY GRONBERG, NC Tribune, Published: November 24, 2025

Come spring, the eyes of North Carolina’s political community are going to be locked on Rockingham and Guilford County to see how Senate leader Phil Berger fares against GOP primary challenger Sam Page.

But it’s looking like there’s another primary in western North Carolina that will command attention.

No, we don’t mean the one involving Rep. Mark Pless, R-Haywood, though people on both sides of the aisle are lining up to challenge him. (The Smoky Mountain News reports that former District Court Judge Danny Davis, a Democrat, is seeking the seat, while Pless has to fend off at least two other Republicans.)

To the contrary, the one we have in mind is the 113th District, where Rep. Jake Johnson, R-Polk, will face former House Majority Leader Mike Hager, R-Rutherford.

Hager’s already said the district’s representatives “don’t seem to care” about Rutherford County’s problems, which include school board votes to close two schools in the face of funding shortfalls and a 15% drop in enrollment since fiscal 2014-15.

He’s also scheduled a joint fundraiser on Dec. 5 with Rutherford County Sheriff Aaron Ellenburg. State Sen. Tim Moffitt, R-Henderson, is appearing at the event as a “special guest” alongside Rep. Paul Scott, R-Rutherford, and Cleveland County Sheriff Alan Norman.

The primary challenge to Johnson — who co-chairs the House Oversight Committee — comes four years after the real estate agent and former Polk County commissioner survived getting double-bunked with former Rep. David Rogers, R-Rutherford. The double-bunking was the result of the use in 2022 of a set of district lines set by court order. 

Appointed to the seat in 2019, Johnson won election in 2020 under a legislatively designed map that grouped Polk County with Transylvania County and southern Henderson County.

The 2022 map and its 2023 replacement, which remains in force, instead groups Polk with western Rutherford County and part of Henderson County (Crab Creek, Atkinson, Flat Rock, East Flat Rock, South Blue Ridge, Raven Rock and Green River precincts) and part of McDowell County.

Rutherford residents make up 44.4% of the district’s population, while Henderson County accounts for another 28.3%. Polk County has but 21.7% of its population. The numbers were slightly different in 2022, but the district remained almost 72% Rutherford and Henderson. In the 2022 primary, Johnson lost Rutherford to Rogers by a couple of percentage points, but won by dominating in Polk and Henderson counties. The result was considered an upset in some quarters, for example by McGuireWoods Consulting.