By Ben Rappaport
Republican David Rouzer, who has represented North Carolina’s 7th Congressional district since 2014, is running for another term in office.
Rouzer is a staunch conservative who has criticized President Joe Biden’s policies and expressed doubts about the fairness of the 2020 election. His challenger, Marlando Pridgen, a Whiteville Democrat, is a political newcomer whose campaign focuses on environmental justice and bringing more resources to rural communities.
The district covers all of Bladen, Brunswick, Columbus, New Hanover and Pender counties as well as parts of Cumberland, Robeson and Sampson counties. It has favored Republicans by an average of 8 percentage points since 2016, according to Cook Political Report.
In 2022, Rouzer won the district by 15 percentage points over Democrat Charles Graham. In 2020 he won by 21 percentage points over Christopher Mitchell Ward.
This election cycle, Rouzer has raised $1.6 million, a majority of which comes from PAC contributions, according to the campaign finance database OpenSecrets. Pridgen has not filed campaign finance reports, according to the North Carolina State Board of Elections database.
The other congressional race in the Border Belt region is in the 8th District, which covers all of Anson, Montgomery, Richmond, Scotland, Stanly and Union counties as well as parts of Cabarrus, Mecklenburg and Robeson counties. Republican Mark Harris and Justin Dues, a Concord Democrat and former U.S. Marine with no political experience, are vying for the seat.
Harris, a Mecklenburg County preacher, returns to the political landscape following a 2018 ballot-harvesting investigation. He initially claimed victory in the race for the 9th congressional district but did not run in a do-over election ordered by the state. Harris was not charged in the case.
The newly drawn 8th district has favored Republicans by an average of 11 percentage points since 2016, according to Cook Political Report. Harris has raised $574,000. Dues has no available campaign finance information.
Here is where the Border Belt’s congressional candidates stand on key issues.
Economy
Rouzer says on his website that he blames the Biden administration for expanding the “welfare state,” which he claims led to people staying out of the workforce, causing inflation to rise. He said to curb these policies, “Congress must incentivize work and promote policies that incentivize investment.”
Inflation has slowed in recent months. In September the annual inflation rate was 2.4%, and the inflation rate has slowed for six consecutive months, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
On his campaign website, Pridgen says he wants to focus on promoting the rural economy. That includes a focus on farming and food production, decreasing homelessness and supporting small businesses.
“My policies will increase affordable housing, prevent evictions and homelessness, spur economic growth, and rebuild decaying roads and bridges,” Pridgen said on the website.
In the 8th district, Harris told the The Charlotte Observer in a candidate questionnaire that he would focus on eliminating wasteful spending and “decreasing the burden on hardworking taxpayers.” Like Rouzer, he emphasized a need to minimize regulations to help families afford basic needs like gas, groceries and housing.
Dues’ economic platform focuses on tax reform that centers average Americans and asks the wealthy to pay their fair share. He also hopes to focus on “rampant fraud” in social services like Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. “Without decisive action to root out these pervasive issues, we risk the collapse of essential social safety nets, exacerbating economic inequality and eroding public trust in government institutions.” his campaign website says.
Immigration
Former President Donald Trump has made border security a central focus of his campaign, and Republicans down ballot are following suit. Rouzer said on his website that illegal immigration is “an enormous problem” that needs immediate reform. He called for an increase in border security and the construction of a border wall.
“Securing our border is a matter of national security; our broken immigration system jeopardizes our country’s safety,” Rouzer said. He emphasized, however, that North Carolina’s agricultural economy is reliant on immigrant workers here on H-2A and H-2B visa programs. He said these programs should be bolstered and improved to help the workforce.
Harris echoed these sentiments in the 8th district. He said on his campaign website he is “committed to fortifying our borders, supporting advanced technology, and rigorously enforcing our immigration laws to protect American citizens and preserve our nation’s integrity.”
Dues said immigration policy should harken back to the mantra of the Statue of Liberty. “Are we a country that embraces diversity and offers refuge and opportunity to those seeking a better life?” he said on his website. “Or are we moving towards a more restrictive stance on immigration, focused on building barriers and limiting entry?”
Education
Republican legislators in North Carolina have prioritized increasing funding for private school vouchers and charter schools and decreasing funding for public education. Rouzer agreed with his party, saying, “Every parent should have the right to choose where they send their children to school.”
He is a co-sponsor of the federal Parents Bill of Rights Act, which aims to give parents more information about what is occurring in their children’s classrooms. In North Carolina, the policy has been criticized because it limits instruction about the LGBTQ+ community.
Pridgen said on his campaign website his education platform would seek to “address disparities for low-income students” by redirecting funds to schools in need. He said he hopes to bolster public school spending to increase teacher hiring, training and other classroom resources.
Harris said on his campaign website he would also endorse a “school choice” education platform.
Dues said public education is “in urgent need of comprehensive upgrades.” He said public education should work to incorporate more vocational training, financial literacy and emotional intelligence into standard curriculum. “Emphasizing practical skills and diverse educational pathways will better equip our youth for the complexities of modern life,” he said.
Environment
Through increasing domestic energy production and growing North Carolina’s offshore wind capabilities, Rouzer hopes to make the district a national leader on energy. He also said on his website he supports increasing flood resilient infrastructure along the coast and “ensuring our beaches remain in top condition.”
Rouzer serves as a member of the House agriculture committee and the Congressional Agri-tourism Caucus. He said he supports strong agricultural protections such as crop insurance, healthy meals for low-income families and improving economic opportunity in rural America.
Pridgen has made environmental protections a pillar of his campaign. He said on his website there is a need to focus on protecting water systems from contamination through “enhanced water quality monitoring to quickly detect pollution, stronger controls and penalties on industrial dumping, and investments to upgrade aging infrastructure across all communities.”
Pridgen also hopes to emphasize the importance of environmental community education to help support agricultural extension programs. “I will champion sustainable food systems and farming practices that are environmentally sound, economically viable for farmers,” he said on his website.
Dues said in a blog post climate change is one of the pressing issues facing North Carolina in this election. He said federal policy should focus on transitioning to renewable energy, enhancing energy efficiency and promoting sustainable agriculture, among other solutions.
