The Political Beat Candidate Guide: Watauga County primary elections

North Carolina primary elections are set for March 5, and there are candidates in the running to represent Watauga County in Washington D.C.

We asked each candidate a series of questions ahead of the election. Their unedited responses are below:

Congressional District 5

Virginia Foxx

What is your occupation? Educator, Small businesswoman

Why are you running? I’m running to serve the hard-working North Carolinians of the 5th Congressional District. Every day I hear from people who are fed up with Joe Biden’s high inflation, big government policies and national security failures at our borders. I have a track-record of successfully fighting for my constituents, for standing up to the Biden administration, and enacting conservative solutions that actually work.

My constituents know that I work tirelessly to represent them in Congress, to solve problems and to fight for North Carolina values. I have a record that proves I take conservative principles seriously and that I will not be outworked by anyone.

What is the most important issue in your district and how do you plan to address it? I talk to North Carolina voters all the time and the recurring theme is the illegal immigration crisis at our southern border. Thanks to Joe Biden’s utter incompetence and negligence, millions of illegal immigrants have crossed our border just last year, choking off the rule of law in border areas, overwhelming towns and cities across the nation and posing a direct threat to our national security. We can’t allow this crisis to continue any longer. That’s why I voted to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Mayorkas for his refusal to enforce our immigration laws in the face of a historic immigration crisis on our southern borders. He has failed to uphold his oath of office and I cosponsored the articles to impeach him for his failed leadership, dereliction of duty and reckless endangerment of our nation’s security. Secretary Mayorkas has helped to foment this illegal immigration crisis and we can’t fully address it without removing him from office.

What role, if any, should the United States have in the Ukraine-Russia and Israel-Hamas conflicts? It’s important to remember that Ukraine is not a member of NATO. This means the U.S. does not have treaty obligations to come to Ukraine’s defense. While the Russian invasion was at first an existential threat, the current conflict has turned to one over borders and territory, and we need to rule out sending U.S. troops, unwind our involvement and have the Europeans do more to protect their continent.

Israel is our closest ally in the Middle East. It is an outpost of democracy and human rights in a region awash with autocrats, antisemitism, and Islamic radicalism. We must support Israel as it responds to Hamas’s barbaric October 7 attacks. This Hamas attack was the worst massacre of Jews since the Nazi holocaust in the 1940′s. Not only does Israel have the right to defend itself against a genocidal group like Hamas, it must do so. Terrorist groups like Hamas, funded and equipped by our enemies in Iran, pose a very clear threat to America and our allies. They must be completely defeated. That’s why I am proud to stand with Israel and I am committed to supporting Israel in any way as it fights for its very survival.

How should Congress address the issue of immigration at the U.S. border? Our first priority must be to crack down on illegal immigration and secure our borders. We should absolutely return to the policies put forward by President Trump, and I voted to codify his policies into law in H.R. 2. We are a nation of immigrants, but we are first of all a nation built on law. If we want immigrants who will respect our laws and embrace our way of life, we need to send a different message that we respect our laws and we will enforce them. Thanks to the Biden administration’s policies, dangerous criminals, drugs, and weapons are pouring over our border and putting our families at risk. No amount of tinkering on visa rules, “paths to citizenship” or slaps on the wrist will fix this problem if we don’t first dedicate ourselves to a process that secures the border as step number one. I’ve introduced my own bill, the Justice for Victims of Open Borders Act, to address the heinous crimes being committed by illegal immigrants due to the Biden Administration’s failed policies. We must make it clear that our culture will not tolerate lawlessness. Our borders must be secure, and our immigration laws must be enforced.

What sets you apart from your opponent? It’s simple. I have a strong, conservative voting record and a reputation of providing top-notch constituent services to all the people of the Fifth Congressional District. I don’t just try to legislate – I deliver. This includes having more bills signed into law under President Trump than anyone in North Carolina. I’m sure that’s why President Trump endorsed me in this race and I’m proud to have his endorsement. I’ve had ten bills signed into law that reflect my dedication to conservative values with commonsense solutions that work. Observing my record, my colleagues elected me to an unprecedented fourth term as leading the Education and Workforce Committee, where we’ve passed legislation like the Parents Bill of Rights and held the liberal establishment accountable – even leading to the dismissal of two Ivey League university presidents. Whether it’s my very first bill signed into law, the HERO Act, which is now helping our military men and women by increasing their access to retirement savings accounts, or my latest bill to pass that would instill merit and competency back into the federal hiring process, I’m committed to fighting for commonsense solutions to deliver for my constituents and hold the federal bureaucracy accountable.

Ryan Mayberry

What is your occupation? Builder and Real Estate Developer / Former 3 Term Alexander County Commissioner

Why are you running? I am running for Congress in the 5th District because I believe that our country is not headed in the right direction. We have Career Politicians in office that will never leave and are there only for the prestige and to enrich themselves. We have a Border that is completely open, our National Debt is for the first time more than our Country’s GDP, and our election results are not trustworthy. And can anyone name anything that Virginia Foxx has actually done to solve those problems? We need new Representation in Washington DC. Look at her advertising; the only thing she has to run on is Donald Trump’s endorsement. There is nothing that she can specifically point to in that 20 years except signing onto other people’s bills. I will hit the ground running to put Term Limits on Congress, Build the Wall, enact Election Security measures, and tackle our spending problem.

What is the most important issue in your district and how do you plan to address it? There is not just one issue.

-Millions of illegal immigrants have entered the U.S. since Joe Biden’s Open Borders Policy started 3 years ago. I will work to shut our border to illegal immigration, sex trafficking of children, and fentanyl. And unlike Rep. Foxx who voted with the Democrats to not Impeach Mayorkas, I would have voted to impeach and work to get the border closed.

-We must get the Career politicians out of Washington DC if we are going to solve the problems of this country which is why in my first 100 days in office I will file a bill to put Term Limits on Congress.

-We must have faith in election results and in order to restore trust we must have commonsense Election Security measures such as paper ballots, no mass mailed ballots, and require states to institute voter ID.

-Our National debt has risen from $7.4 Trillion since Virginia Foxx took office to $34 Trillion today. Where is the Fiscal Responsibility?

-China and other countries are buying our farmland and companies critical to producing our food supply.

-Foxx runs the House Education committee and has not fought hard enough against the Woke Agenda infiltrating our schools.

What role, if any, should the United States have in the Ukraine-Russia and Israel-Hamas conflicts? In my opinion the United States should have a limited role in the Ukraine-Russia conflict as it could spread and pull the U.S. into direct conflict with Russia. And the United States should not be giving away billions of taxpayer dollars to Ukraine. This should be the role of the European Union (EU), as Ukraine is in Europe and was on track to join the EU until 2013 when former Ukrainian President Yanukovych refused to allow the country to join. The United States could also help Ukraine by signing trade agreements that would help bolster trade between our countries. Right now China is their largest trading partner which long-term could have negative consequences for the U.S. The U.S. should offer intelligence assistance to Ukraine and allow them to buy U.S. weapons with money loaned by the EU. In the Israel-Hamas conflict the U.S. should stay out of the conflict altogether and allow Israel to eliminate the terrorist group from Gaza. Virginia Foxx voted to send $113 Billion to Ukraine. I would have not voted to send money from the American taxpayer to Ukraine.

How should Congress address the issue of immigration at the U.S. border?

Congress should fully fund building the wall on the southern border. Joe Biden’s Open Borders policies encourage immigrants to put their lives and the lives of their children at risk to illegally cross the border instead of applying for guest worker visa’s or to legally immigrate. The Immigration system is broken and Republicans in Congress have been unable to find the backbone to fix it. We cannot allow the drug cartels an easy path to smuggle fentanyl and other drugs into our country. We cannot allow women and children to be brought across the border and sex trafficked. We cannot allow the Biden administration to give illegal immigrants government welfare and free housing when we have homeless veterans living on the street. We cannot allow them to come here with the goal of having babies so that they will never be forced to leave since their children are now American citizens. Democrats want illegal immigration because they believe that in the long-term, the children born here to illegal immigrant parents will be voting for Democrats in the future. I will support President Trump’s Border policies.

What sets you apart from your opponent? My opponent is an 80 year old Establishment Republican who’s been in Washington for 20 years. She is against Term Limits and was a supporter of John Boehner, Paul Ryan, and Kevin McCarthy. I have known Virginia personally most of that time and she is no longer in Congress to serve the people. She does not support our Farmers, has not fought to stop the infiltration of the Woke Agenda into our schools, and has voted to send $113 billion of taxpayer dollars to Ukraine. Can anyone tell me how things have gotten better the last 20 years that Virginia Foxx has been in office? Can you name anything meaningful she has done? I am not running for Congress to be a Career Politician; I am running to help President Trump get our country back on track. Foxx spends her time fundraising. I will confront our problems head-on and I will fight to stop the Biden liberal agenda. If you are happy with Congress then vote for Virginia Foxx. If not, I am 51 years old and have the energy and will to fight against the Establishment for you in Washington DC. I ask for your vote on March 5th.

See the statewide election guide at this link

See more information on voting locations in Watauga County by clicking here.

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