New 13th District sets up crowded GOP primary
When legislators redrew North Carolina’s congressional districts in February, in response to a federal court ruling, GOP candidates surged toward the new seat created north of Charlotte like water from a burst dam.
Seventeen Republicans filed in the reshaped 13th District, which had been near Raleigh. They’re sprinting toward a June 7 primary for which, this year, no runoffs will be held.
Most of the candidates describe themselves as conservative but vary on their emphases on social, fiscal and constitutional issues. Common campaign themes: reining in government and federal debt; repealing Obamacare; limiting abortion; halting illegal immigration; and defending gun rights.
The new district is Iredell, Davie and Davidson counties and parts of Guilford and Rowan counties. It stretches from Statesville to Greensboro, with lots of rural space between.
A race in which there is no incumbent to beat “just opens the floodgates,” said political scientist Michael Bitzer of Salisbury’s Catawba College. “It’s a Republican-leaning district, and generally the key election nowadays is not the general election but the primary.”
With turnout expected to be very low, as little as 15 percent of the vote could be enough to win, Bitzer said.
The winner will face one of five Democrats.
The field includes four legislators who, under the rules for this primary, may simultaneously run for federal office and their state seats: Sen. Andrew Brock and Rep. Julia Howard, both of Mocksville, and Reps. Harry Warren of Salisbury and John Blust of Greensboro.
Two other candidates – Kay Daly and George Rouco, both of Mooresville – are familiar names from races in other congressional districts this year. Lexington attorney Jim Snyder lost in the Republican primary for the U.S. Senate to Thom Tillis two years ago.
Normally, name recognition offers sizable benefits. That might not be true in this race.
“Candidates who are currently elected officials or have run campaigns have a leg up,” Bitzer said. “But with this race, there are so many already elected officials that might not necessarily be an advantage.”
Ted Budd, an Advance gun store owner who has never run for office, touts his outsider status.
This month Budd secured the endorsement of the conservative Club for Growth, which focuses on economic issues. Its political action committee has invested $289,311 in Budd’s campaign, according to the nonprofit Center for Responsive Politics, and has a 30-second spot on Youtube.
Among the other candidates are a 14-term N.C. House member (Howard), an N.C. Senate backer of House Bill 2 (Brock) and a former CIA officer (Rouco). Clemmons attorney Dan Barrett is walking 100 miles across the district, while Salisbury’s Jason Walser was the long-time director of a land conservation group.
Frequent candidate Vernon Robinson bills himself as the “black Jesse Helms.” Daly, a former state GOP spokeswoman, is known for blasting a shotgun in a TV ad last fall aimed at “Republican In Name Only” Rep. Renee Ellmers in the 2nd District.
Through March, Daly led 13th District fundraising with $107,068. Brock had raised $104,500, although he loaned his campaign nearly all of it. Rouco, a Mooresville lawyer who had run in the 9th District, had raised $72,340.
At this point it’s about the amount of communication you’re doing. I do really think this is a get-out-the-vote test.
Martin Kifer
High Point University political scientistDistrict lines for all 13 N.C. congressional districts were redrawn after a federal appeals panel found that the 1st and 12th districts were racially gerrymandered. State Republican leaders dislike the decision, which resulted in votes cast in the previously scheduled March 15 congressional primaries being thrown out.
“As a state party, we believe the court had the effect of disenfranchising a ton of voters by attempting to make them vote twice,” said Dallas Woodhouse, executive director of the N.C. GOP. “While we (believed) the old congressional districts were fair and legal, as are these, whatever disease the court was trying to address, they picked a cure far worse.”
The crowded 13th District field and newly reshaped district make it virtually impossible to accurately poll voters, said High Point University political scientist Martin Kifer, who directs the school’s Survey Research Center. Many voters might not realize they’re in the redrawn district.
“At this point it’s about the amount of communication you’re doing,” Kifer said. “I do really think this is a get-out-the-vote test.”
Bruce Henderson: 704-358-5051, @bhender
Dan Barrett
Education: Bachelor’s degree, Wake Forest University; law degree, Wake Forest University School of Law
Job: Owner, Barrett Law Firm (attorney primarily representing small businesses)
Political experience: Davie County commissioner, 2000-2004 and 2014-2016; Republican candidate for governor (2004); chairman, 5th Congressional Republican District (2007-2014 and 2015-2016); 5th District elector, Electoral College (2012); N.C. GOP Hall of Fame; Past co-chairman, N.C. Americans for Prosperity
Family: Wife Kathleen, two children
Hometown: Laurinburg
Age: 57
Why are you running for Congress?
To return government to the people. I will listen to and be accountable to the citizens I serve.
What would be your top priorities if elected?
Fight for good jobs and lower taxes; repeal Obamacare and replace it with private sector solutions; protect national security and secure our borders; balance the budget and reduce national debt; defend the Second Amendment; protect life and traditional values; support term limits.
What else should voters know about you?
The Washington politicians are not listening to us. I am walking 100 miles across the 13th District (from Mooresville to Greensboro). I have heard from you, and I will fight for you in Washington. I will stay true to core conservative beliefs. I will never forget that I serve the people.
John Blust
Education: Bachelor’s degree in business administration and accounting, UNC-Chapel Hill. Passed the CPA examination. Law degree, UNC School of Law.
Job: Practiced law in taxation, estate planning, commercial and business law, restructurings and bankruptcy.
Political experience: Former chairman of the Republican Party in Guilford County; N.C. Senate 1996-1998; N.C. House 2001 to present.
Family: Wife Maria and one child
Hometown: Guilford County
Age: 61
Why are you running for Congress?
I am seeking this important office to help lead a change of course for this nation that will put us back on the path to freedom, prosperity and security. The future of the young people in this country is particularly endangered by the fiscal profligacy of the federal government. The federal government has already run up a debt of $19 trillion, with the likelihood that this debt will grow even more rapidly in the coming decades. Ever higher spending and debt will ultimately lead us to a Greek-like situation in which unemployment will explode and opportunity will become almost non-existent.
What would be your top priorities if elected?
I want to go to Congress and do all I can to put our fiscal house in order and create conditions for economic growth which will engender jobs and opportunity for future generations. We must restrain our spending, simplify our tax code, and reduce our burdensome regulatory regimen so that the entrepreneurial spirit that has always marked America can be unleashed. We need to secure our border and make America safe in a dangerous world. This will take the kind of Republican who can stand up to the pressures of the special interests and to the resistance of the political class to doing what is right.
What else should voters know about you?
In the North Carolina legislature, I have demonstrated time and again that I can stand strong on common-sense, conservative principle and advocate for sound policy even when the pressure to deviate comes from Republican leadership. This presidential election year demonstrates that people are looking for Republican candidates who have the ability to go against not just the Democrats, but our own Republican establishment and do what is right. I believe my life experience and record in Raleigh make me uniquely qualified for service in the next Congress.
Andrew Brock
Education: Bachelor’s degree, Western Carolina University
Job: President and CEO, Brock Communications
Political experience: Seven terms in N.C. Senate; Republican deputy whip in the Senate
Family: Wife Andrea; three children
Hometown: Mocksville
Age: 42
Why are you running for Congress?
Simply put, I’m running for Congress because I want my three young children to inherit a great nation. Our country is headed down the wrong path and I believe we can make the changes needed to keep America the greatest county in the world. In order to do so, we must get our debt under control, build our military, take care of veterans and remove burdensome regulations and taxes, which get in the way of economic prosperity.
As a state senator, I’ve had the privilege of serving many of the citizens in the 13th District over the last 14 years. During that time I’ve worked hard to cut regulations and bring jobs directly to the district. I’m ready to stand against government overreach and for the best interests of my district in Washington.
What would be your top priorities if elected?
Reforming the out-of-date tax code; strengthening the military; securing our borders; national security; bringing jobs back home.
What else should voters know about you?
My proven conservative record sets me apart from the other candidates in this race. For example, I’m the only candidate who can say I led the charge for House Bill 2 in the Senate to protect the rights and safety of women and children. Last year, my efforts led to $400 million in income tax cuts for the citizens of North Carolina.
Because of my proven record on tax reform, protecting property rights, cutting regulations and creating jobs, voters know what they will get with me in Congress. Not only will I stand up for our conservative values, I’ll fight directly for the best interests of the district. I’m the only candidate with the record and experience to hit the ground running for the citizens of District 13.
Ted Budd
Education: Appalachian State University; Wake Forest Business School; Dallas Seminary
Job: Owner, ProShots Gun Range
Political experience: None
Family: Wife Amy Kate, three children
Hometown: Advance
Age: 44
Why are you running for Congress?
Having never run for office before, I did not jump at the opportunity to run for Congress this year. I prayerfully weighed the decision with my family, and sought advice from friends. I ultimately made the decision to run, because I don’t believe we can expect anything to change as long as we keep sending people with political resumes to Washington.
It’s time to take on the establishment. We need people in Congress who are willing to make tough decisions and apply conservative principles. I went to seminary to acquire a Biblical lens for life, and I believe that perspective is sorely missing.
What would be your top priorities if elected?
Implementing fiscal responsibility. Protecting family and freedom from big government. Preserving the Second Amendment.
What else should voters know about you?
I think the most important thing they should know more about is my family. I met my wife on a mission trip to the Soviet Union one week before the Iron Curtain came down. She was actually in Germany during the fall of the Berlin Wall as well and I’m not completely joking when I suggest that if you want to topple an oppressive regime, send Amy Kate.
Together, we home school our son and two daughters. Joshua, our oldest is an Eagle Scout and is going to Estonia for a mission trip later this summer. Our daughters Kathryn and Macy love living on a farm and have been a big help in the campaign. My family is the most important thing on this Earth to me and their future is a major reason why I am running.
Kay Daly
Education: Bachelor’s degree; completed graduate coursework in legislative affairs
Job: Wife, mother, homemaker, and lifelong conservative activist
Political experience: Ronald Reagan Award winner at the American Conservative Union’s 30th annual Conservative Political Action Conference; former aide or adviser to U.S. Sens. Fred Thompson, Pete Wilson and Phil Gramm and U.S. Rep. Fred Heineman; N.C. Republican Party communications director; columnist and radio talk show host.
Family: Husband Jack, three children
Hometown: Mooresville
Age: 49
Why are you running for Congress?
To fight the liberals in the Democratic Party and the cowards in my own Republican Party and in GOP leadership who surrender to the left far too easily, too often, and in matters that are far too important. Warning: Liberals should not support me, because I will endlessly and consistently disappoint and annoy them. Conservatives and principled Republicans with traditional American values who believe in a strong national defense and real border security and who don't think “God” is a dirty word should vote for me. Voters who are sick and tired of political correctness, pro-abortion feminists, gun-grabbers, environmentalist wackos, overly sensitive homosexuals, overspending, over-regulation, and endless taxation should vote for me. Anyone who sees the insanity of burdening our children with trillions of dollars of debt we borrow from the communist Chinese to pay for free schooling and welfare for illegal aliens and sex change operations for the tragically confused should vote for me. Those who think our president has shredded the Constitution, done nothing to stop Islamic terrorists, and cravenly betrayed our ally Israel by giving Iran the nuclear bomb should vote for me. For these good citizens I will be a shining beacon on a hill amongst a swamp of gutless politicians who care more about getting re-elected than saving the republic.
What would be your top priorities if elected?
1. Fighting gutless Republican leaders who surrender on everything to Obama and the left. I am the only candidate who publicly opposed the elections of John Boehner, Kevin McCarthy and Paul Ryan as House Speaker. 2. Stopping amnesty and the wholesale invasion of our country by illegal aliens. 3. Ending the insanity of deficit spending and burdening our children with debt. 4. I am going to Congress to kick butt, not kiss it. I proudly espouse traditional, Judeo-Christian, conservative values, and will never surrender to political correctness on the LGBTQ agenda, the Confederate flag ban, or anything else. I support God, guns, traditional marriage, unborn babies, our military, our veterans, private property rights, and free enterprise. I oppose big government, deficit spending, silly trade deals that benefit China, and all benefits for illegal aliens, including and especially amnesty. Any pervert who follows my daughter into the toilet won’t need transgender surgery.
What else should voters know about you?
I’ve been endorsed by Sean Hannity, Mark Levin, Rush Limbaugh’s Bo Snerdley, James Dobson, Robert Bork, Ambassador Alan Keyes, Operation Rescue, Tea Party Nation, Citizens United, Ronald Reagan’s PAC “Citizens for the Republic,” and many more of my colleagues in the conservative movement. I’ve also been endorsed by conservative celebrities (such as “Gettysburg” movie director Ron Maxwell, award-winning actor and N.C. native Nick Searcy, the Benham brothers and Duane Chapman of “Dog the Bounty Hunter”) and recommended by our state’s gun rights group (Grass Roots North Carolina) and anti-amnesty group (North Carolinians For Immigration Reform & Enforcement). I am not going to Washington to make friends, and I probably won’t be very well liked by the mushy moderate, establishment Republicans in Name Only (RINOs).
Kathy Feather
Education: Associate’s degree in nursing; internationally board-certified lactation consultant.
Job: Lactation consultant
Political experience: Though I have limited experience, I am the wife of a local mayor. I find experience in the ways of government isn’t as important as the experience on the pathway of life.
Family: Husband and two grown children
Hometown: Granite Quarry
Age: 59
Why are you running for Congress?
Because I’m for a government of the people. The more politicians I meet, the more I see they’re just out for themselves. This needs to change. I have helped people all my life and they have helped me. I’m tired of being told how I should follow the rules to be elected. With all the experience of our leaders, I found we don’t need leaders. We need elected officials who follow the lead of the people who put themselves there.
What would be your top priorities if elected?
1. Change federal health care. I would eliminate the federal health system we currently have in place in the United States. We need to provide more people with access to health insurance coverage, establish legal protections for consumers, and set up mechanisms for consumers to shop knowledgeably for insurance of their choice.
2. Secure our borders to stop illegal immigration. Address illegal immigrants that are currently in the country. We need to stop undocumented labor, we need to stop the practice of employers hiring illegal immigrants and end the lure of employment. I believe we should stop illegal immigration and work on a system to help people that are productive remain part of society. I do not believe in amnesty as a general rule. I believe families seeking immigration to the U.S. as refugees should follow the proper and legal methods. If the laws are not working, change them. Workplace enforcement on-site inspections could be a solution. Current immigrants need a path to citizenship.
3. Restore our national strength and the ability to defend ourselves.
4. Fix the national economy.
5. Work on eliminating federal government overreach of our First, Second and 10th amendment rights.
6. Help college graduates with student loan debt; a possibility would be to reduce student loan rate to 0 percent interest.
7. Improve treatment of all veterans and active-duty military.
What else should voters know about you?
I believe in a traditional Christian marriage but respect others’ beliefs, choices and freedoms. I believe that the federal government has its place, to protect us, not to rule us from above. I believe families are the heart of this country and that we should work to support and rebuild family values. I believe the Affordable Care Act should be changed, modified, or replaced after careful consideration as to how it going to affect the everyday people’s lives. I support the Second Amendment.
I was raised in a community that taught me to respect hard work, to put God and family first, to always treat others with respect, and to never forget that everyone everywhere is fighting some sort of battle – be it internal or external – so everyone deserves respect and consideration. The founding principles of my Christian beliefs are to inspire others to enrich their lives not through shouting and belligerent actions, but through positive example. I believe in understanding and unity of community. This is how I was raised coming from a family with a history of coal and steel in the Pennsylvania mountains. I understand hard work and long hours. Days of being tested to the very extent of your capabilities, simply to provide food and shelter for your family. There is no community without unity.
Julia Craven Howard
Education: Bachelor’s degree, Salem College
Job: Realtor/appraiser
Political experience: Mocksville Town Board, eight years; N.C. House of Representatives, 26 years
Family: Two adult children, six grandchildren
Hometown: Mocksville
Age: 71
Why are you running for Congress?
During my years in the N.C. House, I have tackled major issues and passed legislation to improve both the business climate and the lives of families. I believe I can take these same skills to Washington and begin to unravel some of the issues there.
What would be your top priorities if elected?
Tackle the needless spending, seek to provide good care for our veterans, stand firm on the Second Amendment.
What else should voters know about you?
I try my best to fix problems. Look at my N.C. House record.
Chad Gant
Education: Associate’s degree, Caldwell Community College & Technical Institute; bachelor’s, Liberty University; law degree, Charlotte School of Law.
Job: Synergy Legal
Political experience: None
Family: Single father of four children
Hometown: Statesville
Age: 41
Why are you running for Congress?
I am running for Congress because as a Christian conservative Republican I am upset at the inaction of the Republican House majority toward the liberal-left actions by the Obama administration. We need outsiders that are not entrenched in Washington or even Raleigh corruption. Corruption in our own Republican party is the single biggest reason that I as a Christian conservative decided to run for Congress. To stand up for what is right. To bring prayer and the Bible back to our schools. To abolish the Department of Education and return our educational control back to the state level where it constitutionally belongs.
What would be your top priorities if elected?
First, cut spending. I will propose a 20 percent cut in congressional salaries and budgets across the board for a savings of $160 million. Congress has failed us. In order to ever realize real substantive cuts in national spending, Congress must first be willing to make cuts in their own personal budgets and salaries.
Second, abolish the Department of Education. No more of federal government mandating perverted bathroom policies over the states’ heads with billions of dollars of educational federal funding. Let the states reallocate those same dollars through their taxing structure.
Thirdly, overhaul the tax code. Simplify the tax code into a understandable flat tax and fair tax hybrid system that will ensure that each and every American citizen and corporation is carrying their fair share.
I support Donald Trump and his efforts to “build that wall.” Immigration and the Mexican border is becoming and will become a national security issue if we don’t secure our borders.
What else should voters know about you?
I am a Christian conservative, son of a Baptist pastor, father to four successful teenaged children, ex-plant manager across three states and a law school graduate that has the moral compass, legal training and business management experience to fight for my hometown district in Washington, D.C.
Matthew McCall
Education: Bachelor’s degree, N.C. State University
Job: Register of Deeds, Iredell County
Political experience: Elected register of deeds since 2010. Former chairman and vice chairman of the Iredell Republican Party.
Family: Wife Olivia and two sons
Hometown: Mooresville
Age: 31
Why are you running for Congress?
Our government owes $19 trillion and continues to spend money it doesn’t have. The good news? It’s totally fixable by reducing federal spending, repealing burdensome regulations and growing the economy. I’m the only candidate in this race that can point to actual reductions in government spending (not just moving money around) and that is what it’s going to take to reverse our trend towards national bankruptcy. We need only look towards Greece, Venezuela, Detroit, or Puerto Rico to see the end results of leftist vote-buying governance. I’m looking forward to getting to work.
What would be your top priorities if elected?
The economy, debt, infrastructure, states’ rights, constitutional rights.
What else should voters know about you?
I was first elected when I was 25 years old and at 31, I remain the youngest register of deeds in the 100 counties of North Carolina. Since taking office, I’ve reduced my department’s annual budget 40 percent over the past six years. If elected, I will be the youngest member of Congress. I support two constitutional amendments: A balanced budget and 12-year term limits for the House and Senate.
Vernon Robinson
Education: Bachelor’s degree, U.S. Air Force Academy; MBA, University of Missouri
Job: Business consultant who builds large interactive organizations
Political experience: Winston-Salem City Council, eight years; candidate for Superintendent of Public Instruction, 1996; ran for Congress in 2004 and 2012.
Family: Wife Helene, three grown children
Hometown: Winston-Salem
Age: 60
Why are you running for Congress?
I’m running because the past Republican leadership has failed to be a check or balance on the executive or the other branches. We need to put in new Republican leadership that will reestablish a constitutional republic that is grounded in traditional values: Executing murderers instead of babies; having men in men’s bathrooms, not women’s; natural marriage.
What would be your top priorities if elected?
Other than removing the current GOP leadership, North Carolina has no representatives who served (in the military). Taking care of veterans is one of the few things the representatives are charged with constitutionally, and North Carolina has the eighth-largest number of veterans. (Robinson served five years in the Air Force’s Strategic Air Command.) There are voters who are concerned that everybody sounds good in the campaign, then they go to Washington and they change. I’m committed to a “two-way street of accountability” including tweets on each vote I make, and town hall meetings in the district 47 weekends a year.
What else should voters know about you?
Twelve years ago when I ran for Congress I pointed out that the borders should be secured and they should make the E-Verify system work so that illegals couldn’t get jobs. That the LGBT folks would not stop; that natural marriage in serious jeopardy. And finally that the global Islamic movement constitutes a threat and needs to be defeated.
George Rouco
Education: Bachelor’s degree, East Carolina University; law degree, UNC School of Law
Job: Attorney
Political experience: My political experience consists of serving my country and watching as state and federal politicians have turned public service into self-service and one term in office into a career. While they were wasting our time, staying deadlocked on matters like national security, immigration, the economy and healthcare, I was in the real world, living those problems. As a young man, I started a successful business with my dad and brothers to honor the legacy of my grandfather, who was thrown into a Castro prison for 18 years after exhausting his time and money to make sure his son and daughter-in-law, my father and mother, found legal refuge and freedom away from Cuba, in America. Years later, my son was born with a congenital heart defect, offering me an unwanted, yet unusually beneficial, glimpse into our country’s broken health care system. I spent more than five years as an officer in the CIA, which provided me with not only first-hand knowledge of America’s struggles with national security and immigration but real, no-nonsense solutions to fight terrorism and immigrants crossing our borders illegally.
Family: Wife Faith, two children
Hometown: Matthews
Age: 41
Why are you running for Congress?
To me, this isn’t a campaign. It’s a calling. I am running to give back to a country that provided refuge, freedom and opportunity to my family and me when it was desperately needed. This nation enveloped two people who were running for their lives; my father had been placed on Castro’s assassination list. The United States provided opportunities for my parents to sink roots and grow a family and then eventually move from a drug- and crime-ridden neighborhood in Miami to a safer community in Charlotte. This nation gave our family the chance to start our own business, and it provided me the opportunity to attend college and then law school before being offered an intelligence job with the CIA. I am running for Congress because I owe this nation a debt of gratitude, and I want to give back. I want to help protect our country from the real threats it currently faces to ensure that future generations are afforded the same opportunities and protections that allowed my family to chase and realize the American Dream. I am running because my life experiences have given me the skills and know-how to truly make a difference.
What would be your top priorities if elected?
Securing our homeland and borders. Terrorism and illegal immigration are the top two threats to our country today. While our intelligence community and military are doing an incredible job keeping our country safe from attacks, actual threats against us and our allies – like North Korea’s nuclear-weapons threats – are only increasing. Meanwhile, citizens in our southern-border towns are watching as drugs are smuggled through their backyards and into our homeland. We need strong, experienced government leaders to tackle these problems. A CIA agent as recently as three years ago, I have first-hand, up-to-date knowledge of modern-day security issues, and I have experience in combating current risks. In addition to a host of other intelligence and security matters, I have fought against the Iranian nuclear program and against Al-Qaeda and the Iraqi colonels that now make up ISIS, and I have worked actively to secure the U.S./Mexico border. I have had the honor and privilege to work beside real American heroes, and I know what it takes to keep our nation secure.
Ending Obamacare. After grappling with insurance companies for years because of my son’s congenital heart defect, I’m more certain that ever that we desperately need free-market competition for insurance companies. Due to the lack of competition in N.C., Blue Cross Blue Shield has a monopoly on health care plans and benefits across our state. As citizens, that is not in our best interest. Health care companies should be competing for our business, which would drive down the cost of our medical insurance.
Boosting the economy. Small businesses are the bread-and-butter of our district’s economy. As a successful entrepreneur myself, I know the struggles that small businesses face. The government often only compounds those hardships by adding burdensome requirements such as unreasonable health care costs to the backs of our businesses. We need to increase access to private funds by encouraging investors to invest and by allowing the offset of capital gains with losses recorded by small-business investments. We need to reduce the regulatory oversight on some industries, and we need to implement a Fair Tax Act to tax consumption instead of income.
Championing congressional term limits. The Washington establishment has been in control for far too long, and career politicians aren’t going to change unless we make them. I have pledged to serve no more than three terms in Congress if elected, and I have challenged my fellow candidates to do the same. Term limits ensure a steady rotation of fresh faces and ideas in government. Presidents are only allowed to serve eight years. Why do we have no limit on congressional terms? Six years in Washington is long enough if someone is prepared and ready to serve the first day in office. In the workplace, employers expect us to hit the ground running on Day One. We can’t afford legislators who aren’t ready to serve on the first day. Our country is at a point where on-the-job training is not feasible, possible or acceptable.
What else should voters know about you?
My political experience consists of serving my country and watching as state and federal politicians have turned public service into self-service and one term in office into a career. While they were wasting our time, staying deadlocked on matters like national security, immigration, the economy and health care, I was in the real world, living those problems. As a young man, I started a successful business with my dad and brothers to honor the legacy of my grandfather, who was thrown into a Castro prison for 18 years after exhausting his time and money to make sure his son and daughter-in-law, my father and mother, found legal refuge and freedom away from Cuba, in America. Years later, my son was born with a congenital heart defect, offering me an unwanted, yet unusually beneficial, glimpse into our country’s broken healthcare system. I spent more than five years as an officer in the CIA, which provided me with not only first-hand knowledge of America’s struggles with national security and immigration but real, no-nonsense solutions to fight terrorism and immigrants crossing our borders illegally.
Farren Shoaf
Education: High school; N.C. licensed real estate broker, N.C. licensed auctioneer
Job: Owner, WDSL Broadcasting
Political experience: My political experience has been covering the news for several radio stations for the past eight years, interviewing U.S. Rep. Virginia Foxx, U.S. Sen. Richard Burr and former presidential candidate Ron Paul among others.
Family: Wife Laura Jane, two children.
Hometown: Mocksville
Age: 49
Why are you running for Congress?
I am running for Congress because our elected non-representatives have proven themselves to be to incompetent to manage our Social Security, our VA hospitals, our post offices, our foreign policy. They have hijacked our nation’s health care system and they have made a mockery out of our immigration laws. Our servants have become our masters!
What would be your top priorities if elected?
1. Restore a vibrant economy for the hard-working middle class, return our manufacturing, end the trade deficit. 2. Secure the borders/build a wall. 3. Term limits for Congress. 4. Remove the bureaucratic shackles on businesses. 5. Abolish or drastically reduce many of the departments in Washington: the IRS, Department of Education, Department of Energy and Federal Emergency Management Agency, to name just a few.
What else should voters know about you?
Voters should know that as your congressman, if it is good for you, Mr. and Mrs. Middle Class Hard-working American, I will work diligently in support on your behalf. But if it is not good for you but it is good for the banks and the corporations, good for Wall Street and the special interests, I will fight it with every fiber of my being.
Jason Walser
Education: Bachelor’s degree, UNC Chapel Hill (as a Morehead Scholar); law degree, UNC School of Law
Job: Community development and land conservation
Political experience: Issue-based advocacy in Raleigh and Washington, D.C.
Family: Wife Tracy, two children
Hometown: Statesville native, lived in Salisbury since 1999.
Age: 44
Why are you running for Congress?
This is a unique moment in history, and I did not want to miss the opportunity to help reshape the dialogue and action of our country (and my party) moving forward. Congress is beyond broken, the political parties stuck at the fringes of either side, and problems facing the country mounting. I am a pragmatist, and believe that as the dust settles after this bizarre election season, there might be a place in Congress (and the Republican Party) for a deliberative and open-minded leader focused on making government work for the people again. I am fiscally conservative, but believe that government has no business interfering in what its citizens do behind closed doors (so long as it doesn’t hurt anyone else.)
What would be your top priorities if elected?
Making government functional again so that we can then create an environment conducive to job creation in this quickly changing world economy. We must fix or replace (not repeal) the Affordable Care Act, restructure the tax code, and find a way to cut spending. I have no interest in becoming a career politician, and would be willing to cast a vote that cost me the next election if it were the right thing for the country. (To this end, I believe in term limits, and believe they would result in more honest and brave representatives in government.) Also, national security is paramount in an ISIS-infected world. We must invest in intelligence, and in veteran’s services. I do not believe that we have to destroy our government in order to fix it. We just need to get past political extremes and begin talking to each other again.
What else should voters know about you?
Growing up in Statesville with a lake house outside of Mooresville, and then serving as executive director of the Land Trust for Central North Carolina for 16 years, I know this district and its people as well as anyone. I have logged more than 100,000 miles driving throughout the area covered by the new 13th District over the past 20 years. I consider myself a “Teddy Roosevelt” Republican who values the word “stewardship” very much. Stewardship of money, of land, and of people are American and Christian values that have fallen out of partisan discourse. We must bring these ideals back.
Harry Warren
Education: Bachelor’s degree, Kent State University
Job: Human resource specialist and management recruitment
Political experience: Three terms in N.C. House
Family: Wife Catherine, six adult children
Hometown: Salisbury
Age: 65
Why are you running for Congress?
Our country is at a crossroads economically, politically and culturally. A self-avowed socialist is running for the presidency – and very nearly winning his party’s nomination. A national controversy over allowing men to access public restroom and locker room facilities designated for women, Supreme Court validation of same-sex marriage, a national debt in excess of $19 trillion dollars – these issues exemplify that politically, culturally and fiscally, our country is facing a serious departure from the basic foundations that made it the greatest hope for freedom on the planet.
I no longer have confidence in sending someone else to represent and defend my values or to work as diligently as I would. I have the life experience, the work experience and the time to devote myself completely to working on these challenges and more.
Often we send people to Washington who lose their sense of urgency and direction. I was not changed by the culture of government in Raleigh and will not be influenced by the Washington environment. I have remained accountable, available and transparent in my role as state representative and will continue to be so as our congressman. My record in Raleigh is testimony that I am an experienced and effective, conservative legislator.
What would be your top priorities if elected?
Our country’s most serious threat is not military but monetary. Deficit spending and a spiraling national debt in excess of $19 trillion is simply unsustainable. Irresponsible fiscal practices have resulted in the certain insolvency of the Social Security program which, under the most optimistic projections, is expected to bankrupt by 2033. A populace heavily dependent on government entitlement programs is consuming our borrowed revenue, destroying families and killing our national work ethic. Our economic health is our first priority.
Our second priority is our national defense. Rebuilding and modernizing our military might is essential if we are going to maintain our leadership role in the world. We have declined to a point where our enemies no longer fear us and our allies no longer trust us to support them. Our borders are open and unchecked. Refugees, undocumented immigrants and, possibly, terrorists cross our southern border routinely. We must rebuild our military, reinforce our borders and reform our immigration policies.
Federal government overreach that imposes upon state sovereignty and threatens our First, Second and 10th Amendment rights is a third concern that must be checked. Government overreach in areas such as education, healthcare and gun control exceed the constitutional powers of the federal government and demand our attention.
What else should voters know about you?
I have more than 30 years of business management experience in the sales, construction and restaurant industries. As a three-term legislator, I have drafted, sponsored, co-sponsored and voted for some of the most significant legislation in N.C. history. I was the primary sponsor of the voter ID, E-Verify and unemployment insurance bills that have protected the integrity of the voting process, helped protect jobs for N.C. citizens and helped put people back to work.
Experience gained in drafting, sponsoring and successfully promoting effective legislation is critical in Congress, where there is no time to be wasted with “on the job training.”
Setting achievable goals, building collaborative relationships and negotiating without compromising principles are skills I have built in the business world and refined over three terms in the State House that will enable me to be an effective congressman.
13th District voter profile
▪ 71% white
▪ 23% black
▪ 37% Democrat
▪ 35% Republican
▪ 27% Independent
Julia Craven Howard
Education: Bachelor’s degree, Salem College
Job: Realtor/ appraiser
Political experience: Mocksville Town Board, eight years; N.C. House of Representatives, 26 years
Family: Two adult children, six grandchildren
Hometown: Mocksville
Age: 71
Why are you running for Congress?
During my years in the N.C. House, I have tackled major issues and past legislation to improve both the business climate and the lives of families. I believe I can take these same skills to Washington and begin to unravel some of the issues there.
What would be your top priorities if elected?
Tackle the needless spending, seek to provide good care for our veterans, stand firm on the Second Amendment.
What else should voters know about you?
I try my best to fix problems. Look at my N.C. House record.
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Dan Barrett
Education: Bachelor’s degree, Wake Forest University; law degree, Wake Forest University School of Law
Job: Owner, Barrett Law Firm (attorney primarily representing small businesses)
Political experience: Davie County commissioner, 2000-2004 and 2014-2016; Republican candidate for governor (2004); chairman, 5th Congressional Republican District (2007-2014 and 2015-2016); 5th District elector, Electoral College (2012); N.C. GOP Hall of Fame; Past co-chairman; N.C. Americans for Prosperity
Family: Wife Kathleen, two children
Hometown: Laurinburg
Age: 57
Why are you running for Congress?
To return government to the people. I will listen to and be accountable to the citizens I serve.
What would be your top priorities if elected?
Fight for good jobs and lower taxes; repeal Obamacare and replace it with private sector solutions; protect national security and secure our borders; balance the budget and reduce national debt; defend the Second Amendment; protect life and traditional values; support term limits.
What else should voters know about you?
The Washington politicians are not listening to us. I am walking 100 miles across the 13th District (from Mooresville to Greensboro). I have heard from you, and I will fight for you in Washington. I will stay true to core conservative beliefs. I will never forget that I serve the people.
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Jason Walser
Education: Bachelor’s degree, UNC Chapel Hill (as a Morehead Scholar); law degree, UNC School of Law
Job: Community development and land conservation
Political experience: Issue-based advocacy in Raleigh and Washington, D.C.
Family: Wife Tracy, two children
Hometown: Statesville native, lived in Salisbury since 1999.
Age: 44
Why are you running for Congress?
This is a unique moment in history, and I did not want to miss the opportunity to help reshape the dialogue and action of our country (and my party) moving forward. Congress is beyond broken, the political parties stuck at the fringes of either side, and problems facing the country mounting. I am a pragmatist, and believe that as the dust settles after this bizarre election season, there might be a place in Congress (and the Republican Party) for a deliberative and open-minded leader focused on making government work for the people again. I am fiscally conservative, but believe that government has no business interfering in what its citizens do behind closed doors (so long as it doesn't hurt anyone else.)
What would be your top priorities if elected?
Making government functional again so that we can then create an environment conducive to job creation in this quickly changing world economy. We must fix or replace (not repeal) the Affordable Care Act, restructure the tax code, and find a way to cut spending. I have no interest in becoming a career politician, and would be willing to cast a vote that cost me the next election if it were the right thing for the country. (To this end, I believe in term limits, and believe they would result in more honest and brave representatives in government.) Also, national security is paramount in an ISIS-infected world. We must invest in intelligence, and in veteran's services. I do not believe that we have to destroy our government in order to fix it. We just need to get past political extremes and begin talking to each other again.
What else should voters know about you?
Growing up in Statesville with a lake house outside of Mooresville, and then serving as executive director of the Land Trust for Central North Carolina for 16 years, I know this district and its people as well as anyone. I have logged more than 100,000 miles driving throughout the area covered by the new 13th District over the past 20 years. I consider myself a "Teddy Roosevelt" Republican who values the word "stewardship" very much. Stewardship of money, of land, and of people are American and Christian values that have fallen out of partisan discourse. We must bring these ideals back.
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Vernon Robinson
Education: Bachelor’s degree, U.S. Air Force Academy; MBA, University of Missouri
Job: Business consultant who builds large interactive organizations
Political experience: Winston-Salem City Council, eight years; candidate for Superintendent of Public Instruction, 1996; ran for Congress in 2004 and 2012.
Family: Wife Helene, three grown children
Hometown: Winston-Salem
Age: 60
Why are you running for Congress?
I’m running because the past Republican leadership has failed to be a check or balance on the executive or the other branches. We need to put in new Republican leadership that will reestablish a constitutional republic that is grounded in traditional values: Executing murderers instead of babies; having men in men’s bathrooms, not women’s; natural marriage.
What would be your top priorities if elected?
Other than removing the current GOP leadership, North Carolina has no representatives who served (in the military). Taking care of veterans is one of the few things the representatives are charged with constitutionally, and North Carolina has the eighth-largest number of veterans. (Robinson served five years in the Air Force’s Strategic Air Command.) There are voters who are concerned that everybody sounds good in the campaign, then they go to Washington and they change. I’m committed to a “two-way street of accountability” including tweets on each vote I make, and town hall meetings in the district 47 weekends a year.
What else should voters know about you?
Twelve years ago when I ran for Congress I pointed out that the borders should be secured and they should make the E-Verify system work so that illegals couldn’t get jobs. That the LGBT folks would not stop; that natural marriage in serious jeopardy. And finally that the global Islamic movement constitutes a threat and needs to be defeated.
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Chad Gant
Education: Associate’s degree, Caldwell Community College & Technical Institute; bachelor’s, Liberty University; law degree, Charlotte School of Law.
Job: Synergy Legal
Political experience: None
Family: Single father of four children
Hometown: Statesville
Age: 41
Why are you running for Congress?
I am running for Congress because as a Christian conservative Republican I am upset at the inaction of the Republican House majority toward the liberal-left actions by the Obama administration. We need outsiders that are not entrenched in Washington or even Raleigh corruption. Corruption in our own Republican party is the single biggest reason that I as a Christian conservative decided to run for Congress. To stand up for what is right. To bring prayer and the Bible back to our schools. To abolish the Department of Education and return our educational control back to the state level where it constitutionally belongs.
What would be your top priorities if elected?
First, cut spending. I will propose a 20 percent cut in congressional salaries and budgets across the board for a savings of $160 million. Congress has failed us. In order to ever realize real substantive cuts in national spending, Congress must first be willing to make cuts in their own personal budgets and salaries.
Second, abolish the Department of Education. No more of federal government mandating perverted bathroom policies over the states’ heads with billions of dollars of educational federal funding. Let the states reallocate those same dollars through their taxing structure.
Thirdly, overhaul the tax code. Simplify the tax code into a understandable flat tax and fair tax hybrid system that will ensure that each and every American citizen and corporation is carrying their fair share.
I support Donald Trump and his efforts to "build that wall." Immigration and the Mexican border is becoming and will become a national security issue if we don't secure our borders.
What else should voters know about you?
I am a Christian conservative, son of a Baptist pastor, father to four successful teenaged children, ex-plant manager across three states and a law school graduate that has the moral compass, legal training and business management experience to fight for my hometown district in Washington, D.C.
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Farren Shoaf
Education: High school; N.C. licensed real estate broker, N.C. licensed auctioneer
Job: Owner, WDSL Broadcasting
Political experience: My political experience has been covering the news for several radio stations for the past eight years, interviewing U.S. Rep. Virginia Foxx, U.S. Sen. Richard Burr and former presidential candidate Ron Paul among others.
Family: Wife Laura Jane, two children.
Hometown: Mocksville
Age: 49
Why are you running for Congress?
I am running for Congress because our elected non-representatives have proven themselves to be to incompetent to manage our Social Security, our VA hospitals, our post offices, our foreign policy. They have hijacked our nation’s healthcare system and they have made a mockery out of our immigration laws. Our servants have become our masters!
What would be your top priorities if elected?
1. Restore a vibrant economy for the hard-working middle class, return our manufacturing, end the trade deficit. 2. Secure the borders/build a wall. 3. Term limits for Congress. 4. Remove the bureaucratic shackles on businesses. 5. Abolish or drastically reduce many of the departments in Washington: the IRS, Department of Education, Department of Energy and Federal Emergency Management Agency to name just a few.
What else should voters know about you?
Voters should know that as your congressman, if it is good for you, Mr. and Mrs. Middle Class Hard-working American, I will work diligently in support on your behalf. But if it is not good for you but it is good for the banks and the corporations, good for Wall Street and the special interests, I will fight it with every fiber of my being.
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Harry Warren
Education: Bachelor’s degree, Kent State University
Job: Human resource specialist and management recruitment
Political experience: Three terms in N.C. House
Family: Wife Catherine, six adult children
Hometown: Salisbury
Age: 65
Why are you running for Congress?
Our country is at a crossroads economically, politically and culturally. A self-avowed socialist is running for the presidency – and very nearly winning his party’s nomination. A national controversy over allowing men to access public restroom and locker room facilities designated for women, Supreme Court validation of same-sex marriage, a national debt in excess of $19 trillion dollars – these issues exemplify that politically, culturally and fiscally, our country is facing a serious departure from the basic foundations that made it the greatest hope for freedom on the planet.
I no longer have confidence in sending someone else to represent and defend my values or to work as diligently as I would. I have the life experience, the work experience and the time to devote myself completely to working on these challenges and more.
Often we send people to Washington who lose their sense of urgency and direction. I was not changed by the culture of government in Raleigh and will not be influenced by the Washington environment. I have remained accountable, available and transparent in my role as state representative and will continue to be so as our congressman. My record in Raleigh is testimony that I am an experienced and effective, conservative legislator.
What would be your top priorities if elected?
Our country’s most serious threat is not military but monetary. Deficit spending and a spiraling national debt in excess of $19 trillion is simply unsustainable. Irresponsible fiscal practices have resulted in the certain insolvency of the Social Security program which, under the most optimistic projections, is expected to bankrupt by 2033. A populace heavily dependent on government entitlement programs is consuming our borrowed revenue, destroying families and killing our national work ethic. Our economic health is our first priority.
Our second priority is our national defense. Rebuilding and modernizing our military might is essential if we are going to maintain our leadership role in the world. We have declined to a point where our enemies no longer fear us and our allies no longer trust us to support them. Our borders are open and unchecked. Refugees, undocumented immigrants and, possibly, terrorists cross our southern border routinely. We must rebuild our military, reinforce our borders and reform our immigration policies.
Federal government overreach that imposes upon state sovereignty and threatens our First, Second and 10th Amendment rights is a third concern that must be checked. Government overreach in areas such as education, healthcare and gun control exceed the constitutional powers of the federal government and demand our attention.
What else should voters know about you?
I have more than 30 years of business management experience in the sales, construction and restaurant industries. As a three-term legislator, I have drafted, sponsored, cosponsored and voted for some of the most significant legislation in N.C. history. I was the primary sponsor of the voter ID, E-Verify and unemployment insurance bills that have protected the integrity of the voting process, helped protect jobs for N.C. citizens and helped put people back to work.
Experience gained in drafting, sponsoring and successfully promoting effective legislation is critical in Congress, where there is no time to be wasted with "on the job training."
Setting achievable goals, building collaborative relationships and negotiating without compromising principles are skills I have built in the business world and refined over three terms in the State House that will enable me to be an effective congressman.
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Matthew McCall
Education: Bachelor’s degree, N.C. State University
Job: Register of Deeds, Iredell County
Political experience: Elected register of deeds since 2010. Former chairman and vice chairman of the Iredell Republican Party.
Family: Wife Olivia and two sons
Hometown: Mooresville
Age: 31
Why are you running for Congress?
Our government owes $19 trillion and continues to spend money it doesn’t have. The good news? It’s totally fixable by reducing federal spending, repealing burdensome regulations and growing the economy. I’m the only candidate in this race that can point to actual reductions in government spending (not just moving money around) and that is what it’s going to take to reverse our trend towards national bankruptcy. We need only look towards Greece, Venezuela, Detroit, or Puerto Rico to see the end results of leftist vote-buying governance. I’m looking forward to getting to work.
What would be your top priorities if elected?
The economy, debt, infrastructure, states’ rights, constitutional rights.
What else should voters know about you?
I was first elected when I was 25 years old and at 31, I remain the youngest register of deeds in the 100 counties of North Carolina. Since taking office, I’ve reduced my department’s annual budget 40% over the past six years. If elected, I will be the youngest member of Congress. I support two constitutional amendments: A balanced budget and 12-year term limits for the House and Senate.
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John Blust
Education: Bachelor’s degree in business administration and accounting, UNC Chapel Hill. Passed the CPA examination. Law degree, UNC School of Law.
Job: Practiced law in taxation, estate planning, commercial and business law, restructurings and bankruptcy.
Political experience: Former chairman of the Republican Party in Guilford County; N.C. Senate 1996-1998; N.C. House 2001 to present.
Family: Wife Maria and one child
Hometown: Guilford County
Age: 61
Why are you running for Congress?
I am seeking this important office to help lead a change of course for this nation that will put us back on the path to freedom prosperity and security. The future of the young people in this country is particularly endangered by the fiscal profligacy of the federal government. The federal government has already run up a debt of $19 trillion, with the likelihood that this debt will grow even more rapidly in the coming decades. Ever higher spending and debt will ultimately lead us to a Greek-like situation in which unemployment will explode and opportunity will become almost non-existent.
What would be your top priorities if elected?
I want to go to Congress and do all I can to put our fiscal house in order and create conditions for economic growth which will engender jobs and opportunity for future generations. We must restrain our spending, simplify our tax code, and reduce our burdensome regulatory regimen so that the entrepreneurial spirit that has always marked America can be unleashed. We need to secure our border and make America safe in a dangerous world. This will take the kind of Republican who can stand up to the pressures of the special interests and to the resistance of the political class to doing what is right.
What else should voters know about you?
In the North Carolina legislature, I have demonstrated time and again that I can stand strong on common-sense, conservative principle and advocate for sound policy even when the pressure to deviate comes from Republican leadership. This presidential election year demonstrates that people are looking for Republican candidates who have the ability to go against not just the Democrats, but our own Republican establishment and do what is right. I believe my life experience and record in Raleigh make me uniquely qualified for service in the next Congress.
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Andrew Brock
Education: Bachelor’s degree, Western Carolina University
Job: President and CEO, Brock Communications
Political experience: Seven terms in N.C. Senate; Republican deputy whip in the Senate
Family: Wife Andrea; three children
Hometown: Mocksville
Age: 42
Why are you running for Congress?
Simply put, I'm running for Congress because I want my three young children to inherit a great nation. Our country is headed down the wrong path and I believe we can make the changes needed to keep America the greatest county in the world. In order to do so, we must get our debt under control, build our military, take care of veterans and remove burdensome regulations and taxes, which get in the way of economic prosperity.
As a state senator, I've had the privilege of serving many of the citizens in the 13th District over the last 14 years. During that time I’ve worked hard to cut regulations and bring jobs directly to the district. I’m ready to stand against government overreach and for the best interests of my district in Washington.
What would be your top priorities if elected?
Reforming the out of date tax code; strengthening the military; securing our borders; national security; bringing jobs back home.
What else should voters know about you?
My proven conservative record sets me apart from the other candidates in this race. For example, I’m the only candidate who can say I led the charge for House Bill 2 in the Senate to protect the rights and safety of women and children. Last year, my efforts led to $400 million in income tax cuts for the citizens of North Carolina.
Because of my proven record on tax reform, protecting property rights, cutting regulations and creating jobs, voters know what they will get with me in Congress. Not only will I stand up for our conservative values, I’ll fight directly for the best interests of the district. I’m the only candidate with the record and experience to hit the ground running for the citizens of District 13.
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Kathy Feather
Education: Associate’s degree in nursing; internationally board-certified lactation consultant.
Job: Lactation consultant
Political experience: Though I have limited experience, I am the wife of a local mayor. I find experience in the ways of government isn't as important as the experience on the pathway of life.
Family: Husband and two grown children
Hometown: Granite Quarry
Age: 59
Why are you running for Congress?
Because I'm for a government of the people. The more politicians I meet, the more I see they're just out for themselves. This needs to change. I have helped people all my life and they have helped me. I'm tired of being told how I should follow the rules to be elected. With all the experience of our leaders, I found we don't need leaders. We need elected officials who follow the lead of the people who put themselves there.
What would be your top priorities if elected?
1. Change federal health care. I would eliminate the federal health system we currently have in place in the United States. We need to provide more people with access to health insurance coverage, establish legal protections for consumers, and set up mechanisms for consumers to shop knowledgeably for insurance of their choice.
2. Secure our borders to stop illegal immigration. Address illegal immigrants that are currently in the country. We need to stop undocumented labor, we need to stop the practice of employers hiring illegal immigrants and end the lure of employment. I believe we should stop illegal immigration and work on a system to help people that are productive remain part of society. I do not believe in amnesty as a general rule. I believe families seeking immigration to the U.S. as refugees should follow the proper and legal methods. If the laws are not working, change them. Workplace enforcement onsite inspections could be a solution. Current immigrants need a path to citizenship.
3. Restore our national strength and the ability to defend ourselves.
4. Fix the national economy.
5. Work on eliminating federal government overreach of our First, Second and 10th amendment rights.
6. Help college graduates with student loan debt; a possibility would be to reduce student loan rate to 0 percent interest.
7. Improve treatment of all veterans and active-duty military.
What else should voters know about you?
I believe in a traditional Christian marriage but respect others’ beliefs, choices and freedoms. I believe that the federal government has its place, to protect us not to rule us from above. I believe families are the heart of this country and that we should work to support and rebuild family values. I believe the Affordable Care Act should be changed, modified, or replaced after careful consideration as to how it going to affect the everyday people’s lives. I support the Second Amendment.
I was raised in a community that taught me to respect hard work, to put God and family first, to always treat others with respect, and to never forget that everyone everywhere is fighting some sort of battle – be it internal or external – so everyone deserves respect and consideration. The founding principles of my Christian beliefs are to inspire others to enrich their lives not through shouting and belligerent actions, but through positive example. I believe in understanding and unity of community. This is how I was raised coming from a family with a history of coal and steel in the Pennsylvania mountains. I understand hard work and long hours. Days of being tested to the very extent of your capabilities, simply to provide food and shelter for your family. There is no community without unity.
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Ted Budd
Education: Appalachian State University; Wake Forest Business School; Dallas Seminary
Job: Owner, ProShots Gun Range
Political experience: None
Family: Wife Amy Kate, three children
Hometown: Advance
Age: 44
Why are you running for Congress?
Having never run for office before, I did not jump at the opportunity to run for Congress this year. I prayerfully weighed the decision with my family, and sought advice from friends. I ultimately made the decision to run, because I don’t believe we can expect anything to change as long as we keep sending people with political resumes to Washington.
It’s time to take on the establishment. We need people in Congress who are willing to make tough decisions and apply conservative principles. I went to seminary to acquire a Biblical lens for life, and I believe that perspective is sorely missing.
What would be your top priorities if elected?
Implementing fiscal responsibility. Protecting family and freedom from big government. Preserving the Second Amendment.
What else should voters know about you?
I think the most important thing they should know more about is my family. I met my wife on a mission trip to the Soviet Union one week before the Iron Curtain came down. She was actually in Germany during the fall of the Berlin Wall as well and I'm not completely joking when I suggest that if you want to topple an oppresive regime, send Amy Kate.
Together, we home school our son and two daughters. Joshua, our oldest is an Eagle Scout and is going to Estonia for a mission trip later this summer. Our daughters Kathryn and Macy love living on a farm and have been a big help in the campaign. My family is the most important thing on this Earth to me and their future is a major reason why I am running.
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George Rouco
Education: Bachelor’s degree, East Carolina University; law degree, UNC School of Law
Job: Attorney
Political experience: My political experience consists of serving my country and watching as state and federal politicians have turned public service into self-service and one term in office into a career. While they were wasting our time, staying deadlocked on matters like national security, immigration, the economy and healthcare, I was in the real world, living those problems. As a young man, I started a successful business with my dad and brothers to honor the legacy of my grandfather, who was thrown into a Castro prison for 18 years after exhausting his time and money to make sure his son and daughter-in-law, my father and mother, found legal refuge and freedom away from Cuba, in America. Years later, my son was born with a congenital heart defect, offering me an unwanted, yet unusually beneficial, glimpse into our country’s broken healthcare system. I spent more than five years as an officer in the CIA, which provided me with not only first-hand knowledge of America’s struggles with national security and immigration but real, no-nonsense solutions to fight terrorism and immigrants crossing our borders illegally.
Family: Wife Faith, two children
Hometown: Matthews
Age: 41
Why are you running for Congress?
To me, this isn’t a campaign. It’s a calling. I am running to give back to a country that provided refuge, freedom and opportunity to my family and me when it was desperately needed. This nation enveloped two people who were running for their lives; my father had been placed on Castro’s assassination list. The United States provided opportunities for my parents to sink roots and grow a family and then eventually move from a drug- and crime-ridden neighborhood in Miami to a safer community in Charlotte. This nation gave our family the chance to start our own business, and it provided me the opportunity to attend college and then law school before being offered an intelligence job with the CIA. I am running for Congress because I owe this nation a debt of gratitude, and I want to give back. I want to help protect our country from the real threats it currently faces to ensure that future generations are afforded the same opportunities and protections that allowed my family to chase and realize the American Dream. I am running because my life experiences have given me the skills and know-how to truly make a difference.
What would be your top priorities if elected?
Securing our homeland and borders. Terrorism and illegal immigration are the top two threats to our country today. While our intelligence community and military are doing an incredible job keeping our country safe from attacks, actual threats against us and our allies – like North Korea’s nuclear-weapons threats – are only increasing. Meanwhile, citizens in our southern-border towns are watching as drugs are smuggled through their backyards and into our homeland. We need strong, experienced government leaders to tackle these problems. A CIA agent as recently as three years ago, I have first-hand, up-to-date knowledge of modern-day security issues, and I have experience in combatting current risks. In addition to a host of other intelligence and security matters, I have fought against the Iranian nuclear program and against Al-Qaeda and the Iraqi colonels that now make up ISIS, and I have worked actively to secure the U.S./Mexico border. I have had the honor and privilege to work beside real American heroes, and I know what it takes to keep our nation secure.
Ending Obamacare. After grappling with insurance companies for years because of my son’s congenital heart defect, I’m more certain that ever that we desperately need free-market competition for insurance companies. Due to the lack of competition in N.C., Blue Cross Blue Shield has a monopoly on healthcare plans and benefits across our state. As citizens, that is not in our best interest. Healthcare companies should be competing for our business, which would drive down the cost of our medical insurance.
Boosting the economy. Small businesses are the bread-and-butter of our district’s economy. As a successful entrepreneur myself, I know the struggles that small businesses face. The government often only compounds those hardships by adding burdensome requirements such as unreasonable healthcare costs to the backs of our businesses. We need to increase access to private funds by encouraging investors to invest and by allowing the offset of capital gains with losses recorded by small-business investments. We need to reduce the regulatory oversight on some industries, and we need to implement a Fair Tax Act to tax consumption instead of income.
Championing congressional term limits. The Washington establishment has been in control for far too long, and career politicians aren’t going to change unless we make them. I have pledged to serve no more than three terms in Congress if elected, and I have challenged my fellow candidates to do the same. Term limits ensure a steady rotation of fresh faces and ideas in government. Presidents are only allowed to serve eight years. Why do we have no limit on congressional terms? Six years in Washington is long enough if someone is prepared and ready to serve the first day in office. In the workplace, employers expect us to hit the ground running on Day One. We can’t afford legislators who aren’t ready to serve on the first day. Our country is at a point where on-the-job training is not feasible, possible or acceptable.
What else should voters know about you?
My political experience consists of serving my country and watching as state and federal politicians have turned public service into self-service and one term in office into a career. While they were wasting our time, staying deadlocked on matters like national security, immigration, the economy and healthcare, I was in the real world, living those problems. As a young man, I started a successful business with my dad and brothers to honor the legacy of my grandfather, who was thrown into a Castro prison for 18 years after exhausting his time and money to make sure his son and daughter-in-law, my father and mother, found legal refuge and freedom away from Cuba, in America. Years later, my son was born with a congenital heart defect, offering me an unwanted, yet unusually beneficial, glimpse into our country’s broken healthcare system. I spent more than five years as an officer in the CIA, which provided me with not only first-hand knowledge of America’s struggles with national security and immigration but real, no-nonsense solutions to fight terrorism and immigrants crossing our borders illegally.
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Kay Daly
Education: Bachelor’s degree, University of California at San Diego
Job: Communications professional
Political experience: Republican activist and campaign advisor since 1984
Family: Husband Jack, three children
Hometown: Mooresville
Age: 49
From her website: “Her life is a testament to her personal and professional commitment to work for the survival of the traditional American conservative values that have been under attack by the Left for decades.”
This story was originally published May 24, 2016 at 6:13 PM with the headline "New 13th District sets up crowded GOP primary."