Charlotte Observer endorsement: Our choice in N.C.’s 9th Congressional District

If you want to know how North Carolina’s 9th Congressional District candidates would represent their constituents in Washington, a good place to start might be their Twitter feeds.

In tweets and retweets, incumbent Republican Dan Bishop focuses on national politics while engaging in name-calling and conspiracy mongering about ballots and, of course, Hunter Biden. It’s typical of the grime that coats social media, but it’s unbecoming of a U.S. representative.

Democratic challenger Cynthia Wallace takes a different tone. Yes, she’s occasionally critical of President Donald Trump, but those criticisms are far outnumbered by tweets about COVID-19, health care, the urban-rural divide and broadband access — issues that are more important to her district than a presidential candidate’s son.

None of which should be a surprise. Bishop has long been among North Carolina’s most divisive lawmakers. In 2019 campaign ads, he called Democrats “clowns” and “crazy,” and he has attacked LGBTQ advocates in the past, including when he demeaned transgender people by describing Charlotte’s non-discrimination ordinance as addressing “a cross-dresser’s liberty.”

That kind of discourse should be beneath a member of Congress. Such divisiveness is not limited, however, to what Bishop says. He was an author of HB2, North Carolina’s discriminatory 2016 legislation that blocked cities from enacting non-discrimination ordinances, and included language that made it harder for workers who were fired because of race, gender or religion to seek redress. Bishop, a Charlotte lawyer, also was a public advocate for North Carolina’s Amendment 1, which made our state the last in the country to ban gay marriage before a court overturned the law.

Such a worldview no longer fits a district that is becoming increasingly diverse. Wallace not only would offer a more dignified approach to leadership, but also a personal history that should resonate with the varied constituencies in NC-09.

Wallace brings a 25-year career in finance and a rural farming and factory background that allows her to understand the needs of voters from the district’s rural counties to urban and suburban Mecklenburg. Her positions are moderate — she wants to strengthen the Affordable Care Act, for example, instead of opting for a Medicare for All health insurance plan. Her familiarity with agri-business and attentiveness to issues such as equal pay for women will serve workers in her district well.

Wallace would take the same even-handed approach to helping her district recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. She told the Editorial Board she will focus in Congress on local farmers and businesses, as well as the people who risk their health by laboring in confined spaces in agriculture jobs. She also would push for a new round of unemployment assistance to offset job losses and supplement North Carolina’s below-average benefits.

An important NC-09 consideration: Democrats are expected to retain a majority in the U.S. House in November. If that happens, Wallace would be a more effective lawmaker who could better address her district’s needs. Bishop, who declined to interview with the Editorial Board, has had about a year in office after winning the NC-09 special election. While he’s made an effort to introduce new bills in that short time, it’s hard to have an impact as a member of the minority party.

Bishop, however, has too often engaged in stunts that should make his constituents sigh, including urging the administration to investigate tax dollars funding “anarchy.” It’s the kind of politicking that serves no one. It’s the kind of game playing that’s not relevant to the needs of NC-09. We believe voters want a serious lawmaker who can dive into meaningful issues. In this race, that candidate is Cynthia Wallace.

This story was originally published October 13, 2020 at 5:00 AM.