ISSUES

Leadership You Can Trust: This campaign is about dignity, stability, and making life livable for working people.

Work Should Pay in North Carolina

Families in southeastern North Carolina earn well below the statewide average. According to U.S. Census data for Columbus County and Robeson County, median household incomes in both counties trail North Carolina’s median by tens of thousands of dollars.

Meanwhile, state policy changes have included significant income and corporate tax reductions. The NC Budget & Tax Center reports that corporate income taxes are scheduled to phase down to 0% by 2030, and that recent tax changes disproportionately benefit higher-income households.

When local incomes lag and state revenues shrink, communities feel it: in infrastructure, schools, and public services.

Policy priorities:

Raise wages so work pays
Support small businesses so they can compete
Prioritize working families over corporate tax giveaways

Invest in Our Kids

Public education in southeastern North Carolina faces significant hurdles that impact our children’s future. While there have been recent academic gains, many local schools still trail behind statewide proficiency levels and most local high schools rank near the bottom compared to the rest of the state. Even as districts like Robeson County work to exit the state’s "low-performing" list, too many classrooms remain below state standards.

The root of the problem often comes down to resources. Robeson and Columbus counties currently rank among the lowest in the state for local school funding, which directly limits our ability to hire staff, reduce class sizes, and provide necessary student supports.

At the same time, our schools are facing a "perfect storm" of funding challenges:

Falling Enrollment: As public school enrollment declines across the region, state funding—which is tied to student headcount—is automatically reduced.
Voucher Expansion: State policy is increasingly redirecting taxpayer dollars toward private schools. In some parts of our region, private schools have even received more scholarship funding than their reported enrollment.
Teacher Retention: North Carolina continues to lag in competitive teacher pay and education funding trends, making it harder to keep great teachers in our classrooms.

When we underfund our schools, we underfund our kids’ futures.

Plus, our school system is the largest employer in Columbus County and second largest in Robeson county. When we fail to provide competitive teacher pay, we aren't just losing educators; we are draining millions of dollars in potential consumer spending from our local economy.

Policy priorities:

Competitive teacher pay to recruit and keep the best educators
Sustainable school funding that doesn't penalize rural districts
Early childhood investment to give every child a head start
Transparency and accountability for all education spending

Healthcare Is a Necessity, Not a Luxury

In southeastern North Carolina, staying healthy shouldn't depend on your zip code. Right now, Robeson County is ranked as one of the unhealthiest counties in the state. This isn’t because our people don't work hard—it's because our healthcare system is stretched to the breaking point.

For many families in small towns and rural areas, the barriers are simple but devastating:

The "Doctor Desert": We have a severe shortage of medical professionals. Statewide, North Carolina has the highest rate of rural hospital closures in the country after only Texas and Tennessee. When a local clinic closes, it doesn't just mean a longer drive; it means lost jobs and slower emergency response times.
The Cost of Care: Even with insurance, rural North Carolinians are 40% more likely to be uninsured than people in the city. In our region, families are often forced to choose between paying for a prescription or buying groceries.
Chronic Health Struggles: Because it's so hard to see a doctor for a check-up, rates of diabetes and heart disease in Columbus and Robeson counties are much higher than the state average.

Why This Matters for Our Veterans

Our region is home to thousands of veterans, and North Carolina has the second-highest number of rural veterans in the nation. For those who served, these healthcare gaps hit even harder:

The PACT Act Promise: The PACT Act expanded benefits for over 3.5 million veterans exposed to toxic burn pits and Agent Orange. However, those benefits only work if there are local doctors available to provide the treatment.
The Travel Trap: Because we lack local specialty clinics, many veterans have to drive over 90 minutes just to reach a VA medical center for basic specialty care.
Wait Times: Recent VA reorganizations and staffing shortages have led to longer waits for mental health and primary care appointments, leaving those who served us waiting for the care they earned.

When we strengthen rural healthcare, we aren't just helping "patients," we are fulfilling our promise to our veterans and keeping our neighbors healthy enough to work and provide for their families.

Policy priorities:

Keep rural hospitals open to ensure emergency care is always close by
Recruit more doctors and nurses to our region through better incentives
Protect veteran healthcare by funding local VA clinics and community care
Expand "Food as Medicine" programs to lower the cost of staying healthy

You Shouldn’t Have to Leave Home to Build a Life

Southeastern North Carolina has always been a place where people look out for one another. But today, many of our neighbors feel forced to move away to find a good job or start a career. Our small towns and rural areas shouldn't just be places people are from: they should be places where people can thrive.

To keep our communities vibrant, we need to focus on three key pillars:

Support Local Small Businesses: Small businesses are the backbone of our economy, accounting for over 99% of all businesses in North Carolina and creating two-thirds of the net new jobs over the last 25 years. In rural counties like ours, local shops, contractors, and restaurants are the heartbeat of the community. We need to cut the red tape that holds them back and ensure they have access to the same low-interest capital and expansion grants that big corporations receive.
Respect and Protect Our Farms: Agriculture is our state's top industry, contributing over $111 billion to the economy. Robeson County consistently ranks in the top 10 statewide for farm revenue, but our farmers are under pressure from trade policies beyond their control. Recent data shows that broad-based tariffs could cost North Carolina’s agriculture industry nearly $700 million and put 8,000 jobs at risk. Supporting both "big ag" and small family farms ensures our food security and our economic stability.
Invest in the "Heart" of Our Towns: Arts, culture, and community spaces aren't just "nice to have"—they are economic engines. The creative economy is a nearly $20 billion industry in North Carolina, outperforming many traditional sectors and supporting over 160,000 jobs. By investing in downtown revitalizations and cultural centers, we make our towns places where young professionals and families want to stay and build their futures.

When we invest in local entrepreneurs and farmers, we keep our dollars—and our children—right here at home.

Policy priorities:

Grant programs for rural entrepreneurs to help local startups get off the ground
Protecting farmland from over-development to preserve our agricultural heritage
Fighting for fair trade policies that protect our farmers from expensive retaliatory tariffs
Funding for downtown revitalization to bring life back to our historic main streets