{"biography":"John Alan Torbett is the incumbent Republican member of the North Carolina House of Representatives for District\u202f108, covering northeastern Gaston County. The North Carolina House is a 120\u2011member lower chamber that meets annually to draft, debate, and vote on state legislation, approve the state budget, and provide constituent services; members serve two\u2011year terms and sit on standing and select committees that shape policy in specific areas\u202f[1]. Torbett is seeking re\u2011election in the 2026 general election for the same seat\u202f[1].\n\nBorn May\u202f21,\u202f1956 in Chattanooga, Tennessee, Torbett earned college credits at Middle Tennessee State University (1975\u20111977)\u202f[7]. He resides in Stanley, North Carolina, and is married with one child\u202f[7]. His professional background is in manufacturing and defense technology; he has been Vice President of North Carolina Operations for Defense Technologies, Inc. since 2003 and previously served as CEO of Corrugated Converting\u202f[1].\n\nBefore entering state politics, Torbett served eight years on the Gaston County Board of Commissioners (2002\u20112010)\u202f[4][7]. He was first elected to the state House in 2010 and has been re\u2011elected every two years, most recently in 2020\u202f[4]. Over his tenure he has held numerous leadership positions on key committees. In the 2023\u20112024 session he is Vice Chair of the Appropriations Committee, Chair of the Appropriations\u2011Education Committee, Chair of the Education\u2011K\u201112 Committee, and Vice Chair of the House Redistricting Committee, among others\u202f[1]. Earlier sessions show a consistent focus on appropriations, education, transportation, and redistricting, including chairing the Appropriations\u2011Transportation Committee (2019\u20112020) and serving as Senior Chair of the Transportation Committee (2019\u20112020)\u202f[1].\n\nTorbett\u2019s legislative record includes sponsoring bills on economic policy, education, and government efficiency. In 2017 he introduced H\u2011249, \u201cEconomic Terrorism,\u201d proposing felony penalties for boycott activities\u202f[4]. In 2025 he was named co\u2011chair of the new Select Committee on Government Efficiency, reflecting his emphasis on streamlined state operations\u202f[20]. He has also been active in community organizations, serving on the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum board, various Republican party committees, and local civic groups\u202f[7].\n\nOutside the legislature, Torbett continues his business role at Defense Technologies and maintains a presence in his district through a constituent office in Raleigh (300 N. Salisbury St., Room\u202f538) and a local mailing address in Stanley\u202f[3]. He communicates with voters via his campaign website, social media, and a public email address (John.Torbett@ncleg.gov)\u202f[18].\n\n## Sources\n- [1] [John Torbett - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/John_Torbett)\n- [3] [Representative John A. Torbett - Biography - North Carolina General Assembly](https://www.ncleg.gov/Members/Biography/H/606)\n- [4] [John Torbett - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Torbett)\n- [7] [Vote Smart | Facts For All](https://justfacts.votesmart.org/candidate/biography/92622/john-torbett)\n- [11] [State Representative John Torbett | BillTrack50](https://www.billtrack50.com/legislatordetail/6072)\n- [12] [North Carolina State Rep. John Torbett - Biography | LegiStorm](https://www.legistorm.com/person/bio/192909/John_A_Torbett.html)\n- [13] [John Torbett \u2013 NC House District 108 Gaston County](https://johntorbett.com/)\n- [17] [John Torbett - North Carolina House Republican Caucus](https://www.nchouserepublicans.com/members/john-torbett/)\n- [18] [John Torbett - Yahoo Search Results](https://m.search.yahoo.com/v1/en-US/w/sapp?ei=UTF-8&p=John+Torbett&fr2=p:s,v:sfp,m:ovncp&fr=sfp)\n- [20] [John Torbett | The North State Journal](https://nsjonline.com/article/2025/02/new-government-efficiency-committee-announced-in-state-house/john-torbett/)","campaigns":[{"contest":"state_house_108","county":"gaston","county_count":1,"electiondate":"Tue, 03 Nov 2026 00:00:00 GMT","pgr":"general","state":"NC","title":"Nc House Of Representatives District 108"}],"cf_filings":[],"firstname":"John","fullname":"John Alan Torbett","lastname":"Torbett","middlename":"Alan","office_history":[{"campaigns":[{"contest":"state_house_108","contest_title":"Nc House Of Representatives District 108","county":"gaston","county_count":1,"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_108","contest_title":"Nc House Of Representatives District 108","county":"gaston","county_count":1,"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":[]}],"summary":"John Alan Torbett is the Republican incumbent seeking re\u2011election to the North Carolina House for District\u202f108, with a long record in state budgeting, education, and transportation committees.","terms":[],"token":"9404a1800271959f"}