Candidate for US House District 4 in NC, Republican Eric Blankenburg, answers our questions
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Name: Eric Blankenburg
District: 4th Congressional District
Political party: Republican
Age as of March 5, 2024: 64
Campaign website: https://ericfornc.com/
Current occupation: Technology Consultant
Professional experience: 30 years of experience as a chief technology officer, vice president engineering, Solution Architect, and other roles in the computer industry.
Education: B.S., Computer Science
What offices have you run for or held before? Have you had any other notable government or civic involvement? I have not held any offices.
What is the issue that you see as most relevant to constituents in your district, and what will you do to address it?
America is facing numerous economic challenges that have been festering for decades. We need to reinvigorate our economy by improving our business climate, creating a world-class workforce, revitalizing our depressed cities and rural areas, renewing our crumbling infrastructure, and updating our immigration and trade policies.
Is there an issue on which you disagree with your party? What is your position on that issue?
The Republican Party is fractured. The party has deep disagreements about trade, immigration, and foreign policy. I stand with those who put the interests of the American people over the interests of global corporations and the military industrial complex.
What is the government doing, if anything, that you see as a waste of taxpayer money?
The list is too long to describe here.
Should spending increases trigger automatic increases to the U.S. debt limit so that political gridlock does not cause the country to default on its debts?
Congress should be required to vote on increasing the debt limit before they are allowed to vote on spending bills that exceed those limits.
What federal legislation, if any, would you support on abortion?
Under America’s federalist system, matters of life and death are not generally in the jurisdiction of the federal government. They are the responsibilities of each state. The legal definition of when death begins is decided by each state. Laws about harming others, including murder and manslaughter, are also defined, and enforced by each state. The federal government doesn’t have any role in abortion.
What changes in U.S. immigration enforcement and restrictions would you support?
We must remove the incentives for entering America illegally. Being here illegally must be a real crime punishable by a long term in prison, followed by deportation. Birthright citizenship must end for the children of people who aren’t citizens or permanent residents. The border wall must be completed. And we must temporarily suspend the asylum program until the rest of the system is fixed.
What legislation would you support to make Americans safer from mass shootings and other violent crime?
According to the FBI, more people are murdered each year with hammers and other blunt instruments than rifles. Mass shootings make for big, sensationalist headlines, but they are not a huge problem compared to other issues. And trying to ban scary-looking guns won’t solve the problem. The Supreme Court has recently affirmed that Americans have the right to own a gun and carry a gun outside the home. Any solution to this issue must be based on that reality.
