{"biography":"John R. Bell IV is the incumbent Republican member of the North Carolina House of Representatives for District\u202f10, which covers Wayne County and surrounding areas. As a state representative, he is responsible for introducing and voting on legislation, serving on committees, and representing the interests of his constituents in the General Assembly. He is seeking re\u2011election in the November\u202f3,\u202f2026 general election for the same seat [1].\n\nBell was born and raised in Mount Olive, North Carolina, and graduated from North Duplin High School before earning a bachelor\u2019s degree from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington [12]. He later entered the private sector, working as a manager of sales and business development for North Carolina Community Federal Credit Union and founding Neuse Connections, LLC, a business\u2011development firm that assists organizations with growth strategies [1][12].\n\nBell first won election to the state House in 2012 and was sworn in in 2013, beginning what is now his seventh term representing District\u202f10 [1][12]. During his tenure he has held several leadership positions: elected House Majority Whip in 2015 and then House Majority Leader in 2016, a role he retained through 2025, making him the longest\u2011serving Majority Leader in North Carolina history [12]. At the start of the 2025\u201126 session he was appointed Chairman of the Committee on Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House by Speaker Destin Hall [12]. His committee assignments have included Agriculture, Energy and Public Utilities, House Finance, Health, Alcoholic Beverage Control, and Disaster Recovery and Homeland Security across multiple sessions [1].\n\nLegislatively, Bell has focused on issues affecting agriculture, veterans, rural economies, and public safety. He has sponsored bills to ban foreign adversaries from purchasing North Carolina farmland, to re\u2011evaluate four\u2011year college degree requirements for state jobs, and to secure more than $60\u202fmillion in state budget allocations for Wayne County projects such as school safety funding and disaster\u2011recovery initiatives [13]. He has been recognized by pro\u2011business groups, receiving the NC Chamber\u2019s \u201cJobs Champion\u201d award in 2021 and 2023, and was named a 2023 Defender of Public Safety and a 2021 Legislative Champion for charter schools [13].\n\nIn addition to his legislative work, Bell remains active in his community, promoting economic development through his business ventures and supporting military families and veterans through targeted legislation and funding programs. He lives in Mount Olive with his wife, Kelli Gurley Bell, their daughter Averi Kostin Bell, and their dog Maxx [12].\n\n## Sources\n- [1] [John Bell (North Carolina) - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/John_Bell_(North_Carolina))\n- [9] [2026 North Carolina House of Representatives election - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_North_Carolina_House_of_Representatives_election)\n- [11] [John Bell for NC House](https://www.electjohnbell.com/)\n- [12] [John Bell \u23aa About](https://www.electjohnbell.com/about)\n- [13] [John Bell \u23aa News](https://www.electjohnbell.com/news)\n- [17] [Rep. John Bell (@JohnBellNC) / X](https://x.com/johnbellnc?lang=en)\n- [18] [Rep. John Bell (@JohnBellNC) / X](https://twitter.com/JohnBellNC)\n- [20] [John Bell | U.S. Senator, Tennessee, Whig Party | Britannica](https://www.britannica.com/biography/John-Bell-American-politician)","campaigns":[{"contest":"state_house_010","county":"greene","county_count":5,"electiondate":"Tue, 03 Nov 2026 00:00:00 GMT","pgr":"general","state":"NC","title":"Nc House Of Representatives District 010"}],"cf_filings":[],"firstname":"John","fullname":"John Richard Bell IV","lastname":"Bell","middlename":"Richard","office_history":[{"campaigns":[{"contest":"state_house_010","contest_title":"Nc House Of Representatives District 010","county":"greene","county_count":5,"electiondate":"2026-11-03","office_county":null,"office_key":"state_house","office_title":"State Representative","party":"REP","pgr":"general","state":"NC"}],"county":null,"cycles":[{"general":{"contest":"state_house_010","contest_title":"Nc House Of Representatives District 010","county":"greene","county_count":5,"electiondate":"2026-11-03","office_county":null,"office_key":"state_house","office_title":"State Representative","party":"REP","pgr":"general","state":"NC"},"party":"REP","primary":null,"term":null,"year":2026}],"office_key":"state_house","office_title":"State Representative","state":"NC","terms":[]}],"suffix":"IV","summary":"John R. Bell IV is a Republican NC House member for District\u202f10 seeking re\u2011election in 2026, with a background in business and extensive legislative leadership.","terms":[],"token":"56ed690603be5ce2"}