Troxler was originally a member of the
Democratic Party, but left the organization in the late 1990s, feeling that Democrats were hostile to tobacco production. Jerry Blackwelder, a
Republican Party consultant, recruited him as a candidate for the office of
North Carolina Commissioner of Agriculture. Troxler ran in 2000, losing to
Meg Scott Phipps. Due to a financial corruption scandal, Phipps was replaced by Democrat
Britt Cobb in 2003. Troxler was sworn in as North Carolina Agriculture Commissioner on February 8, 2005. He was the first Republican to be elected as Agriculture Commissioner in the state's history, reflecting the ascendancy of the party in the state. After his inauguration at the
North Carolina State Fairgrounds, Troxler rode a
tractor to his downtown offices. Troxler was re-elected in
2008 as Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services for the state of North Carolina. As of
2025 he is currently serving his sixth term. Because of a state law passed in 2013 that expanded venues for carrying legally permitted weapons, in 2014 a gun owners group challenged the no-guns policy of the North Carolina State Fair. Troxler enforced the ban that year while court cases were litigated. A Wake County Superior Court upheld the ban at the fair later that year. By early 2015, some legislators introduced bills to allow guns, while others introduced a bill to maintain the ban on carrying guns at the fair. The ban continues as of 2023. == Electoral history ==