# Mark Brody

Mark Allen Brody (born December 6, 1951) is a Wisconsin-born Republican member of the North Carolina House of Representatives. He has represented the 55th district (including constituents in Anson and Union counties) since 2013.

## Life and career

In 1996, he received his Bachelor of Arts at Concordia University, a private Christian University in Mequon, Wisconsin. Brody serves on the board of Union Day School in Waxhaw, North Carolina, a charter school launched in 2016 to serve K–3 students. The school is a tuition-free, publicly funded school run by an independent board. Brody is a formerly licensed general contractor who has built homes in Union, Mecklenburg and Gaston counties. He faced several civil suits in a decade that alleged he failed to pay for materials or services rendered, according to an WSOC-TV news report in 2012; Brody claimed the allegations were politically motivated. He is sometimes cited as having served in the US Navy (Reserves) from 1985 to 1993. His father served in the military (WWII), as did his grandfather, Joseph L. Brodowski (original surname to Brody).

## Controversy

On May 11, 2018, on his Facebook page, Brody called public school teachers in Union County, North Carolina, and North Carolina "Teacher Union thugs" in relation the 2018 North Carolina teachers' rally planned in Raleigh, the state capital. Teachers' unions are illegal in the state of North Carolina. Brody defended the statement in a later interview with WBTV, saying that use of the "thug" phrase was about national unions. "When you pull the curtain away and see who’s pulling the levers on this, it’s the national teacher union and those are the ones I was referring to," he said. He also said he wasn't trying to say anything negative about local teachers.

## Committee assignments
### 2021-2022 session

* Appropriations
* Appropriations - Education
* Local Government - Land Use, Planning and Development (Chair)
* Education - Community Colleges (Vice Chair)
* Agriculture
* Regulatory Reform
* Wildlife Resources

### 2019-2020 session

* Regulatory Reform (Chair)
* Education - Community Colleges (Vice Chair)
* Agriculture
* Wildlife Resources
* Education - K-12
* Finance

### 2017-2018 session

* Appropriations
* Appropriations - General Government
* Education - Community Colleges (Chair)
* Agriculture (Chair)
* Commerce and Job Development
* Education - Universities
* State and Local Government I

### 2015-2016 session

* Appropriations
* Appropriations - General Government (Vice Chair)
* Education - Community Colleges (Chair)
* Agriculture (Chair)
* Regulatory Reform
* Commerce and Job Development
* Education - Universities
* Elections

### 2013-2014 session

* Appropriations
* Agriculture
* Commerce and Job Development
* Government
* Health and Human Services

## Electoral history
### 2020

North Carolina House of Representatives 55th district general election, 2020 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | Mark Brody (incumbent) | 20,800 | 58.32% |
| | Democratic | Gloria Harrington Overcash | 14,865 | 41.68% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 35,665 | 100% |
| | Republican hold | Republican hold | Republican hold | Republican hold |

### 2018

North Carolina House of Representatives 55th district general election, 2018 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | Mark Brody (incumbent) | 18,412 | 65.29% |
| | Democratic | Frank Deese | 9,790 | 34.71% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 28,202 | 100% |
| | Republican hold | Republican hold | Republican hold | Republican hold |

### 2016

North Carolina House of Representatives 55th district general election, 2016 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | Mark Brody (incumbent) | 20,901 | 60.37% |
| | Democratic | Kim Hargett | 13,719 | 39.63% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 34,620 | 100% |
| | Republican hold | Republican hold | Republican hold | Republican hold |

### 2014

North Carolina House of Representatives 55th district general election, 2014 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | Mark Brody (incumbent) | 12,484 | 58.94% |
| | Democratic | Kim Hargett | 8,698 | 41.06% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 21,182 | 100% |
| | Republican hold | Republican hold | Republican hold | Republican hold |

### 2012

North Carolina House of Representatives 55th district Republican primary election, 2012 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | Mark Brody | 3,892 | 47.60% |
| | Republican | Richard Johnson | 3,830 | 46.84% |
| | Republican | John L. Barker | 455 | 5.56% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 8,177 | 100% |
North Carolina House of Representatives 55th district general election, 2012 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | Mark Brody | 18,962 | 56.60% |
| | Democratic | Dale Nelson | 14,540 | 43.40% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 33,502 | 100% |
| | Republican gain from Democratic | Republican gain from Democratic | Republican gain from Democratic | Republican gain from Democratic |

### 2008

North Carolina House of Representatives 103rd district general election, 2008 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | Jim Gulley (incumbent) | 20,798 | 69.37% |
| | Unaffiliated | Mark Brody | 9,184 | 30.63% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 29,982 | 100% |
| | Republican hold | Republican hold | Republican hold | Republican hold |