Democratic Senate Hopefuls Make Case In Debate | Eastern North Carolina Now

    Publisher's note: The author of this post is Barry Smith, who writes for the Carolina Journal, John Hood Publisher.

    RALEIGH     During a televised debate Thursday night, the four Democrats seeking the U.S. Senate seat held by Republican Richard Burr discussed immigration, health care, the economy, keeping firearms out of the hands of people with mental health issues, and their thoughts about the incumbent.

    The half-hour debate, moderated by David Crabtree of WRAL News, was largely civil and had few fireworks.

    The notable exception came during closing remarks when Durham business owner Kevin Griffin said his opponents hadn't interacted with the public nearly as much as he had. He singled out former state Rep. Deborah Ross of Wake County, who polls show is the front-runner in the race, although more than half of Democratic voters remain undecided in the contest.

    "When Ms. Ross has 240 unanswered comments on her Facebook page, she's not representing the people," Griffin said. "She's not working with the people. You have to be there. You have to be available, and that's the difference in my approach."

    Crabtree gave Ross an opportunity to respond.

    "I have crisscrossed this state talking to voters in their hometowns, but also on the phone, called thousands of people who are very excited about this campaign," Ross said.

    The debate also included Spring Lake Mayor Chris Rey and Ernest Reeves, a retired Army veteran living in Greenville.

    Chris Rey

    Rey said he favored a pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants and allowing Syrian refugees to relocate in the United States. "We do have one of the most stringent laws in place on how to bring individuals into this country," Rey said.

    He said that it's important for both parties to work together to fix problems with the Affordable Care Act. Rey said he didn't favor allowing people with mental health issues access to guns, but said he wanted to be a champion for mental health.

    Rey supports increasing the minimum wage, and said there needs to be a plan to address the growing gap between North Carolina's urban and rural economies. He also said he would not vote to confirm a person to the Supreme Court who tries to make law rather than interpret law. Rey said Burr's vote during the budget battle supporting sequestration damaged the military and particularly veterans.

    Ernest Reeves

    Reeves said that while he did not favor a pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants, he did favor a "pathway to stay" in the country legally. He said that Syrian refugees should be allowed in the country if they can be verified not to pose any threats to public safety. He said he would repeal the "Cadillac tax" on higher quality health insurance coverage under Obamacare and work to bring down the cost of medications.

    He said he would prevent mentally ill people from gaining access to weapons by backing a mental health database. Reeves supports increasing the minimum wage to $10.25 an hour and said he wouldn't support a Supreme Court nominee who didn't treat all people fairly. Reeves charged Burr with being more focused on toeing the Republican Party line than in working for the interests of all North Carolinians.

    Kevin Griffin

    Griffin said he did not favor a pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants, but said they should be brought in under a work permit program. "That way they're able to make use of the social services that we have available because they are paying into those," Griffin said. Regarding refugees, Griffin said, "We are the light of the world. People want to come here for a reason." He said the country could bring them in through a comprehensive screening process.

    He called universal health care "an absolute necessity." Griffin said he supports expanding Medicaid coverage under Obamacare. He said the ACA works well for individuals but is "very confusing" for small business owners. He said he did not favor allowing mentally ill people to own firearms, adding that more mental health services are necessary. He supports increasing the minimum wage and said he would oppose a Supreme Court nominee who did not understand how their rulings affect people on an individual level. Griffin said Burr had not distinguished himself as a leader in Washington.

    Deborah Ross

    Ross said she favored a bipartisan comprehensive immigration reform bill that passed the Senate two years ago. "It was supported by the North Carolina Farm Bureau, but Richard Burr voted against it," she said. "I would have voted for it." She said the United States should adhere to strict refugee guidelines and "make sure we know who's coming in."

    She also listed some ACA accomplishments: It prevents insurers from denying coverage to people with pre-existing conditions; prohibits charging women higher premiums than men; and allows children to stay on their parents' insurance until they reach age 26. Ross said she would work to repeal the law's tax on medical devices.

    Ross called for more stringent background checks so people with serious mental illnesses cannot purchase firearms. To boost the economy, Ross supports public works programs that create jobs and rebuild the nation's infrastructure. She said someone who would not afford people before the Supreme Court an equal opportunity to make their case would not get her support as a justice. Ross said Burr's failure to support government job-training programs for unemployed veterans was "just plain wrong."

    GOP response

    In a statement, N.C. Republican Party executive director Dallas Woodhouse said the debate showed than none of the Democrats were worthy successors of Burr.

    "You would think candidates hoping to replace Sen. Burr, Chairman of the [Senate] Intelligence Committee, would demonstrate more collective knowledge in foreign affairs, but sadly they did not demonstrate the knowledge needed to defeat ISIS and international terrorism. Further, their willingness to turn to government to create jobs instead of the private sector should concern taxpayers and job creators."

    The winner of the March 15 primary will face the winner of that same day's Republican primary between Burr, Greg Brannon, Larry Holmquist, and Paul Wright. The Democratic and Republican winners will face Libertarian Sean Haugh in the November general election.
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