Rogers topples incumbent Pless in 118th House District
Haywood and Madison Counties will have a new state representative next year.
Cory Vaillancourt photo
Three-term Republican Rep. Mark Pless will not be returning to Raleigh next year after his defeat by longtime Haywood County Schools board member Jimmy Rogers.
Pless is a Haywood County native with nearly 30 years as a volunteer firefighter and more than two decades in emergency medical services before earning his paramedic certification in 1993 and later working as an insurance agent, experience he says shaped his view of disaster recovery. He entered public office on the Haywood County Board of Commissioners in 2018, served two years and won election to the North Carolina House in 2020, where he currently serves on key budget and infrastructure committees and chairs emergency management and disaster recovery — roles he credits with directing funds back to Western North Carolina.
Rogers earned an impressive 55% of the vote to Pless' 45%. Rogers will go on to face Haywood County Democrat and former judge Danny Davis in November. The 118th District contains both Haywood and Madison counties.
Check back with The Smoky Mountain News for full results and detailed analysis across Haywood, Jackson, Macon and Swain counties in our March 11 issue.
