A committee of the Guilford County Republican Party this week chose former county commissioner Alan Branson to fill the vacant State House District 59 seat.
The move wasn’t surprising. Branson is the GOP nominee to replace Representative Jon Hardister.
Hardister, who was in his sixth term, chose not to run again and instead joined the race for state labor commissioner. He came in second to Luke Farley in the March primary.
Last month, Hardister told legislative officials he would be resigning his seat effective April 8, saying he wanted to redirect his time to family and working in the private sector.
The decision to pick Hardister’s replacement fell to the local GOP. The term runs through December 31.
Branson easily won the Republican primary to replace Hardister, defeating Allen Chappell with 70 percent of the vote.
Branson faces Democrat Tanneshia Dukes in the November general election.