U.S. House Rep. Buddy Carter says Roe v. Wade was 'civil rights issue of our generation'

Buddy Carter has been the representative for Georgia’s 1st Congressional District since 2014, and he hasn’t faced much of a challenge in that time.

This year, he’s up against Savannah lawyer Wade Herring, who came back from a close 2nd place finish in the May 24 primary, to finish strong in the June 21 runoff, clinching the nomination from Carter’s 2020 opponent Joyce Marie Griggs.

Carter joined Savannah Morning News on June 29 to talk about his campaign, his opponent, and his work in Congress.

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Why are you a better choice for the First Congressional District than Wade Herring?

Carter: "Well, first of all, if you look at what's going on in our country, right now, the last thing we need is to send another Democrat up to Washington D.C. to allow with these failed policies of the Biden administration and the Democratic majority. People are concerned, they're concerned about inflation. They're concerned about gas prices, they're concerned about crime. They're concerned about our southern border, they're concerned about the weak policies that are shown on the national stage on the world stage. They're concerned about all those things.

"And people understand that policies have consequences. And what we are suffering right now are the consequences of the last election, and of the policies of the Democratic administration and the Biden administration. People in the 1st Congressional District don't want to send someone to Washington, D.C. who's going to be voting with Joe Biden and Nancy Pelosi, they want to see real change, they want to go back to when we had inflation under control, when we had a growing economy, when we had our southern border secured, and when we were respected on the world stage."

Are you approaching this [race] any differently? You knew Wade Herring prior to this, is this more personal this time around?

Carter: "No, you know, my opponent has decided to make an issue out of some things that I don't think should be made an issue out of, particularly our church. And I think that's very sad, and very unfortunate. But no, they look, this is about policies.

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"This is about the failed policies of the Democratic Party and the Biden administration; it's about inflation; it's about gas prices; it's about crime; it's about our southern border; it's about our lack of respect on the world stage, thanks to this administration; it's about leaving Afghanistan, and leaving Americans behind enemy lines, something that we never do.

"That's what this is about. All the personal attacks, and I'm sure that my opponent will be entering into that foray. And but you know, none of that's going to make a difference to people. What makes a difference in people is their pocketbook and their economy, and what's going on in those respects."

How much opportunity do you think there is to pull people over from that centrist Democrat viewpoint this time around?

Carter: "Well, I think there's a lot of potential there. And I think that we've done a lot; it doesn't get a lot of media coverage, as you would expect. But at the same time, if you look at just last week, we passed the Restoring Hope for Mental Health and Well Being Act, that's a mental health bill to deal with what's going on in our country right now, to deal with the tragedies that we have witnessed, in Uvalde and in Buffalo, all of those things.

"Because look, we've been cooped up for the last two years. And it's been tough. It's been tough on people, and some people have adjusted better than others. But we need to address the mental health issues here in America and this bipartisan legislation that came out of the committee that I serve on, the Energy and Commerce Committee, that was voted out of the house in a bipartisan fashion. That's going to help, because it's going to put more resources toward the programs that have been proven to work toward programs that address our students and our young people who need that.

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"I met this morning in Long County with a group of students who were concerned about what's going on in the mental health of their community. And unfortunately, they've had some tragedies over there. They've had at least three suicides that have rocked that community and rocked that school. And they met with them this morning just about that. And you know, I don't know whether they'll vote for me or not, but they know that I'm concerned. And they know that, that I'm representing them and that I'm taking to Washington D.C. the values, the concerns of the constituents of the 1st Congressional District."

What are the concerns that you're hearing from your Black constituents in the First Congressional District? And what are you doing to address those?

Carter: "Well, the African American community has much the same concerns as the white community, and that is inflation at the gas that is, trying to work day to day and be able to afford gas to get to work, all of them. The policies, the concerns are not that different. And I think this is where, really, a wedge is trying to be put in place by my opponent. And that's unfortunate because the concerns of the African American community are much the same as the concerns of the white community here in this district as well."

There are some differences, though, wouldn't you say?

Carter: "There are differences with every group. You know, the concerns of the Hispanic community are different from the concerns of the African American community that are different from concerns of the white community.

"That's why we have to work together, and we do, and we represent every community in our office and I'm always cognitive of that whenever I'm making decisions that are going to impact our district: a good economy, a growing economy that helps everyone. It doesn't just help the white community or the Hispanic community, it helps the African American American community as well. And inflation, inflation impacts all of those communities. It hurts all of those communities."

Why are you not a career politician despite your nearly 30-year tenure in politics?

Carter: "Well, what I am is, you know, I'm a small businessman, and I spent 32 years in business, signing the front of the paycheck, I spent that time creating jobs, I understand the importance of the federal government and getting out of the way and overburdensome regulations that we see in business and how important it is to get rid of those.

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"Also understand and make sure that we are in the federal government creating an environment in which jobs can be created. That's our responsibility in my mind. It's not our responsibility to come in and micromanage. It is our responsibility to create an environment in which jobs can be created. And that's what I see the role of the federal government has been."

Let's move on to Roe v. Wade, a decision that got overturned this week. Obviously, you're Republican, you’ve been pretty vocally anti-abortion for the entire time you've been around. What are your thoughts on that case law being overturned?

Carter: "Well, first of all, let's make sure that we're clear. Abortion is not a Republican-Democratic issue. People like to make it that, a litmus test, if you will. It is not. I know Democrats who are anti-abortion. I know some Republicans who are pro-choice. I don't agree with them. I believe in life. And I believe that life won. Life wins with this decision.

"Let's face it, Roe vs. Wade is outdated. It was the wrong decision that was made 50 years ago. But as science has advanced during that 50-year period, we understand now, the humanity of a child. We understand that at six weeks, you hear a heartbeat, we understand that at 15 weeks, that a child has eyebrows, eye sockets and nose, and most importantly, that a child can feel excruciating pain. That's what we have advanced in science in that period of time, Roe vs Wade was outdated, and I believe it's the civil rights issue of our generation.

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"Just as we look back now at past generations and wonder how they could have been so inhumane with some of the things they did, future generations will look back at us and think, ‘How could they have been so inhumane as to allow the slaughter of children to allow babies being killed in the womb?’"

What would you say to the women of the First Congressional District who woke up and did not feel that way? They felt scared; they felt alienated; they felt like their government did not take care of them.

Carter: "Well, let's keep in mind now what this decision did was to put this back to the states, so it will be the states that make these decisions now, and it should have been the whole time. I believe strongly in state sovereignty, having been a state legislator myself.

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"And I will tell you that there are pro-life centers available out there. There are over 70 in the state of Georgia, in our district alone, there are over 12 pro-life centers that are there to help people and they're there to provide services. I would encourage anyone who might be struggling with this, visit one of those centers, that's what they're there for, to help you through this process."

Do you believe the Constitution is an outdated document?

Carter: "No, I do not. I believe it is a leading document that should continue to lead us into the direction that we have in this country."

Something pretty prominently featured in [the Constitution] is the separation of church and state, and the Supreme Court also ruled last week that the feds can now fund Christian schools. Is that something you support?

Carter: "Yes, absolutely. And it's something that we need to get back to in our country. And that is that we need to get back to our religious roots, we need to get back to the fact that our country was founded on the premises of God and in our belief in God and that we would continue to be that way in a country. And I think that that's one of the biggest problems that we have in our country right now.

"So we've gotten away from God, I think one of the worst decisions ever made by the Supreme Court, aside from Roe vs. Wade, was taking prayer out of the schools. I still think they got that wrong. And I applaud what the Supreme Court did with the coach out in Washington State in Oregon, in the Northwest, in allowing him that freedom of speech and the freedom to pray on the field after a game."

Do you think we should fund other religious schools outside Christianity?

Carter: "Well, that'll be up to the courts to see and certainly that's, that's something that, you know, that's why we have three different branches of government, and that's up to the judicial branch."

Will Peebles is the enterprise reporter for Savannah Morning News. He can be reached at wpeebles@gannett.com and @willpeeblessmn on Twitter.

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: US House Rep. Buddy Carter talks about Wade Herring race, Roe v. Wade