John Marshall Blust

John M. Blust is the incumbent Republican member of the North Carolina House of Representatives for District 62 and is seeking re‑election in the November 3, 2026 general election. Members of the North Carolina House serve two‑year terms, must be qualified voters who have lived in the district for at least one year, and must be at least 21 years old ³. The office carries a salary of $13,951 per year plus a $104 per‑day per‑diem ³.

Blust earned both his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration/Accounting (1979) and his Juris Doctor (1982) from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill ¹⁷. He later passed the CPA exam and has practiced law in taxation, estate planning, commercial and business matters ⁵⁸.

His public service began with the United States Army, where he served as an officer in the Field Artillery from 1972‑1974 and again from 1982‑1985, including time with the 82nd Airborne Division and a posting in the Republic of Korea ¹¹¹.

Professionally, Blust worked as a certified public accountant and attorney before entering elected office ¹⁵. He also held the position of Guilford County Republican Party Chairman from 1993‑1995 ⁸¹⁹.

Blust’s political career spans more than three decades. He was first appointed to the North Carolina Senate, serving from May 1996 until January 1999 ⁷¹⁹. He was then elected to the House in 2000 and served continuously through 2018, opting not to run for re‑election that year ⁷¹⁹. After a brief retirement, the Guilford County Republican Party appointed him to fill the vacancy created by Rep. John Faircloth’s resignation, and he was sworn in on September 9 2024 ¹¹⁵. He will complete that term (ending January 1 2027) and is now on the ballot for a full term in 2026 ¹.

During his tenure, Blust held numerous committee assignments, often in leadership roles. He chaired the Judiciary II Committee, served as Vice‑Chair of Finance, and was Vice‑Chair of the Homeland Security, Military, and Veterans Affairs Committee across multiple legislative sessions ¹. He also sat on Banking, Elections, Pensions and Retirement, Rules, and several other committees, giving him broad influence over fiscal, legal, and security policy.

Blust’s legislative record emphasizes fiscal restraint, tax reduction, and regulatory reform. He helped turn a $3 billion budget shortfall into a surplus, lowered individual and corporate tax burdens, eliminated the estate (death) tax, and reformed North Carolina’s unemployment insurance system ¹². He championed election‑integrity measures such as photo‑ID voting, expanded school‑choice options, increased teacher pay, and protected Second‑Amendment rights through expanded concealed‑carry and castle‑doctrine statutes ¹²⁸. His platform for the upcoming campaign continues these themes: controlling spending, further tax cuts, additional regulatory reform, K‑12 education reforms that promote school choice and eliminate DEI/CRT mandates, university academic‑freedom protections, and strong pro‑life and immigration‑enforcement policies ¹²¹⁰.

In the 2026 race, Blust faces Democrat Shelly Headen. The Republican primary was cancelled, leaving him unopposed for the party’s nomination ¹. His campaign website provides additional details on his record and policy priorities ¹⁰.

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