John Bell | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Majority Leader of theNorth Carolina House of Representatives | |
| In office August 30, 2016 – January 8, 2025 | |
| Preceded by | Mike Hager |
| Succeeded by | Brenden Jones |
| Member of theNorth Carolina House of Representatives from the10th district | |
| Assumed office January 1, 2013 | |
| Preceded by | Karen Kozel |
| Personal details | |
| Born | John Richard Bell IV (1979-05-18)May 18, 1979 (age 46) |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Kelli |
| Children | 1 |
| Education | University of North Carolina, Wilmington (BA) |
John Richard Bell IV (born May 18, 1979) is an American politician. A member of theRepublican Party, he has represented the 10th district (includingWayne,Greene, andJohnston counties) in theNorth Carolina House of Representatives since 2013.[1][2]
John Richard Bell, IV is the child of John R. "Ricky" Bell, III, and Cindy Ezzell Bell. He has one sister. His father was a highway maintenance engineer for theNorth Carolina Department of Transportation.[3]Bell graduated from theUniversity of North Carolina, Wilmington, in 2001.[4]
In 2016, Bell was a business development employee for North Carolina Community Federal Credit Union inGoldsboro, North Carolina.[5] He later joined Sentinel Risk Advisors as a client executive.[4]
In January 2016, Bell endorsed SenatorMarco Rubio in the2016 Republican Party presidential primaries.[6]
Bell was elected by the state House Republican Caucus to the position of state Housemajority whip in 2014,[7] and to the position ofmajority leader in 2016.[5] Bell was also chairman of the House Regulatory Reform Committee, and the House Select Committee on Wildlife Resources.[5]
In the state House, Bell has been a supporter of restrictingwind energy development, taking the position that wind farms are a threat to military bases in North Carolina because they could obstruct low-level military training flights.[8] Bell sponsored legislation in 2013 to increase wind-energy regulation,[8] and in 2019 helped negotiate a bill to require the state to consult military commanders as part of the state permitting process for wind farms.[9]
Bell and other General Assembly Republicans have opposed DemocraticGovernorRoy Cooper on the issue ofexpanding Medicaid. Cooper and other Democrats support the expansion of Medicaid, and Republicans oppose it.[10]
Bell introduced legislation in 2019 to allow the sale of beer and wine at North Carolina public universities during athletic games.[11] The bill passed later that year, and sevenUniversity of North Carolina System institutions took advantage of the law by opting to allow alcohol sales on game days.[12]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | John Bell (incumbent) | 24,475 | 60.79% | |
| Democratic | Beatrice Jones | 15,789 | 39.21% | |
| Total votes | 40,264 | 100% | ||
| Republicanhold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | John Bell (incumbent) | 17,796 | 100% | |
| Total votes | 17,796 | 100% | ||
| Republicanhold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | John Bell (incumbent) | 27,802 | 69.77% | |
| Democratic | Carl Martin | 12,047 | 30.23% | |
| Total votes | 39,849 | 100% | ||
| Republicanhold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | John Bell (incumbent) | 18,838 | 69.34% | ||
| Democratic | Tracy Blackmon | 8,329 | 30.66% | ||
| Total votes | 27,167 | 100% | |||
| Republicanhold | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | John Bell (incumbent) | 26,440 | 71.55% | ||
| Democratic | Evelyn Paul | 10,514 | 28.45% | ||
| Total votes | 36,954 | 100% | |||
| Republicanhold | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | John Bell (incumbent) | 19,577 | 100% | ||
| Total votes | 19,577 | 100% | |||
| Republicanhold | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | John Bell | 3,910 | 50.25% | |
| Republican | Stephen LaRoque (incumbent) | 3,871 | 49.75% | |
| Total votes | 7,781 | 100% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | John Bell | 24,475 | 66.61% | ||
| Democratic | Jim Babe Hardison | 12,270 | 33.39% | ||
| Total votes | 36,745 | 100% | |||
| Republicanhold | |||||
| North Carolina House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Majority Leader of theNorth Carolina House of Representatives 2016–2025 | Succeeded by |