Candidate for NC Senate District 22, Democrat Mike Woodard, answers our questions

Luciana Perez Uribe Guinassi
·3 min read

To help inform voters across the state, this candidate questionnaire is available to be republished by local publications in North Carolina without any cost. Please consider subscribing to The News & Observer to help make this coverage possible.

Name: Mike Woodard

Political party: Democrat

Age as of March 5, 2024:

Campaign website and/or social media links: mikewoodard.com

Current occupation: Senator, NC General Assembly

Professional experience: In my professional life, I was a longtime administrator with Duke University and the Duke Health System. I also worked as an administrator and instructor at Durham Technical Community College.

Education: Duke University: bachelor’s in economics and political science; certificate in nonprofit management.

What offices have you run for or held before? Have you had any other notable government or civic involvement? I served on the Durham City Council from 2005 to 2012. I have served in the state Senate from 2013 to present.

What is the issue that you see as most relevant to constituents in your district, and what will you do to address it?

  • First-class system of public education: Raise compensation to national average; expand use of teachers’ assistants; universal pre-kindergarten.

  • Accessible, affordable health care: Medicaid Transformation; enhance behavioral health; assist Federally Qualified Health Centers; enhance rural health care.

  • Economy that works in every part of the state: Enhance infrastructure; expand job opportunities (economic development projects, training and apprenticeship projects, programs to hire formerly incarcerated people.)

Is there an issue on which you disagree with your party? What is your position on that issue?

I disagreed with a majority of my colleagues and the governor on House Bill 142, the 2017 compromise legislation intended to end House Bill 2, the “Bathroom Bill.” While HB 142 did eliminate some parts of HB2, it kept in place many of the harmful provisions and doubled down on dangerous perceptions about transgender people. The momentum for a fuller repeal of HB2 was in our favor, and I believe we should have held out for more concessions.

What legislation would you support to help North Carolinians who are struggling to make ends meet?

We should restore the Earned Income Tax Credit that was eliminated in 2013. We should also expand child care options and tax credits for families. The legislature needs to work diligently to develop workforce housing options for local governments and private developers.

What is the government doing, if anything, that you see as a waste of taxpayer money?

Opportunity Scholarships; Crisis Pregnancy Centers.

Should the new law exempting state lawmakers from the public records law be repealed?

Yes.

Would you support a bill allowing for additional casinos and legalizing video gambling machines?

It depends on the language of the bill and how casinos will be set up. For instance, will there be an open bidding process for the licenses? Or will union labor be allowed to work for the casinos? I would favor both of those provisions. But even beyond these issues, my support will depend on the details, and I have a very high threshold for allowing casinos and video gambling.

How would you increase confidence in elections?

I have authored a comprehensive automatic voting registration/voting rights bill for a few sessions that was drafted with help from the Brennan Center. My hope is to introduce and pass all — or part — of that bill.