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Steve Troxler

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Steve Troxler
16th Agriculture Commissioner of North Carolina
Incumbent
Assumed office
February 8, 2005
GovernorMike Easley
Bev Perdue
Pat McCrory
Roy Cooper
Preceded byBritt Cobb
Personal details
BornBrowns Summit, North Carolina, United States of America
Political partyRepublican
EducationNorth Carolina State University (BS)

Steve W. Troxler (born 1952) is an American farmer and Republican politician. He serves as the Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services for North Carolina. Because of a contested election due to lost ballots in the November 2004 statewide election, he was not sworn in until February 8, 2005. He was re-elected in 2008, 2012, 2016 and 2020.[1][2]

Biography

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Troxler was born and grew up in Browns Summit, North Carolina, where he attended local schools. He studied conservation at North Carolina State University, earning a bachelor's degree in 1974.

Troxler originally leased farmland in Browns Summit before he purchased some after he got his degree and primarily grew tobacco. After he was elected to office, he planted less tobacco in favor of wheat and produce.[3]

Political career

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Troxler was originally a member of the Democratic Party, but left the organization in the late 1990s, feeling that Democrats were hostile to tobacco production. Jerry Blackwelder, a Republican Party consultant, recruited him as a candidate for the office of North Carolina Commissioner of Agriculture. Troxler ran in 2000, losing to Meg Scott Phipps. Due to a financial corruption scandal, Phipps was replaced by Democrat Britt Cobb in 2003.[3]

Troxler ran again for the same position in the 2004 Council of State election, finishing 2,287 votes ahead of incumbent Cobb. However, because more than 4,000 votes were lost in Carteret County, the race was unresolved for more than three months. After extended legal challenges between Cobb and Troxler, Cobb conceded the race on February 4, 2005.[4]

Troxler was sworn in as North Carolina Agriculture Commissioner on February 8, 2005.[5] He was the first Republican to be elected as Agriculture Commissioner in the state's history, reflecting the ascendancy of the party in the state. After his inauguration at the North Carolina State Fairgrounds, Troxler rode a tractor to his downtown offices. Troxler was re-elected in 2008 as Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services for the state of North Carolina.[6] As of 2021 he is currently serving his fifth term.

Because of a state law passed in 2013 that expanded venues for carrying legally permitted weapons, in 2014 a gun owners group challenged the no-guns policy of the North Carolina State Fair. Troxler enforced the ban that year while court cases were litigated.[7] A Wake County Superior Court upheld the ban at the fair later that year. By early 2015, some legislators introduced bills to allow guns, while others introduced a bill to maintain the ban on carrying guns at the fair.[8] The ban continues as of 2023.[9]

Electoral history

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North Carolina Commissioner of Agriculture Republican Primary Election, 2000
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Steve Troxler 66,257 27.37
Republican Tom Davidson 58,189 24.04
Republican Billy Guthrie 50,386 20.81
Republican David Rouzer 28,134 11.62
Republican Frank Tadlock 20,020 8.27
Republican Elbie Powers 19,098 7.89
North Carolina Commissioner of Agriculture Election, 2000
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Meg Scott Phipps 1,418,164 50.57
Republican Steve Troxler 1,386,311 49.43
North Carolina Commissioner of Agriculture Election, 2004
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Steve Troxler 1,666,197 50.03
Democratic Britt Cobb (inc.) 1,663,910 49.97
North Carolina Commissioner of Agriculture Election, 2008
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Steve Troxler (inc.) 2,130,146 52.05
Democratic Ronnie Ansley 1,962,741 47.95
North Carolina Commissioner of Agriculture Election, 2012
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Steve Troxler (inc.) 2,303,586 53.22
Democratic Walter Smith 2,025,054 46.78
North Carolina Commissioner of Agriculture Republican Primary Election, 2016
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Steve Troxler (inc.) 634,100 68.77
Republican Andy Stevens 287,948 31.23
North Carolina Commissioner of Agriculture Election, 2016
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Steve Troxler (inc.) 2,524,445 55.56
Democratic Walter Smith 2,018,872 44.44
North Carolina Commissioner of Agriculture Election, 2020
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Steve Troxler (inc.) 2,901,849 53.86
Democratic Jenna Wadsworth 2,485,722 46.14

References

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  1. ^ Ballotpedia - Steve Troxler, Retrieved Feb. 20, 2021.
  2. ^ NC Department of Agricultural & Consumer Services, About N.C. Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler, Retrieved Feb. 20, 2021
  3. ^ a b Maurer, Kevin (August 6, 2021). "The Governor of Rural North Carolina". The Assembly. Archived from the original on October 2, 2022.
  4. ^ "Cobb Folds His Hand, Concedes to Troxler Three Months After the Election Ended". Greensboro News & Record. February 4, 2005. Retrieved April 13, 2022.
  5. ^ Collins, Kristen (February 9, 2005). "Troxler's swearing-in draws hundreds". The News & Observer. p. B5.
  6. ^ "Steve Troxler for Commissioner". November 2008.
  7. ^ Andrew Kenney, "Troxler says he will enforce gun ban at NC State Fair, despite threat of legal action", News & Observer, 30 September 2014; accessed 10 June 2018
  8. ^ Jim Morrill, "Bill would allow guns at NC State Fair", Charlotte Observer, 02 April 2015; accessed 10 June 2018
  9. ^ "NC State Fair". www.ncstatefair.org. Retrieved 2024-02-29.
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Party political offices
Preceded by
Tom Davidson
 Republican nominee for North Carolina Commissioner of Agriculture
2000, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016, 2020, 2024 		Most recent
Political offices
Preceded by Agriculture Commissioner of North Carolina
2005–present 		Incumbent
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