Raleigh, NC – Two major North Carolina Republicans running for the U.S. Senate outlined their views on immigration, climate change and the role of former President Donald Trump in Republican politics during an hour-long debate on Tuesday.
Former Gov. Pat McCrory and former U.S. MP Mark Walker are seeking to take the place of retired U.S. Senator Richard Berr. The fourth discussion was not attended by US representative Ted Bud, the leader of the Republican Party in the race, who also missed three previous debates.
Here are four conclusions from the Nexstar Media Group debate:
1. Trump’s resilience. McCrory and Walker have refused to support former President Donald Trump if he seeks to nominate the Republican Party for president in 2024.
“Now I would have a bias towards former or current governors from Florida, New Jersey or South Carolina,” McCrory said. “I’m a former governor, and I have a bias in that area.”
McCrory has the support of Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, who is a potential presidential candidate.
Walker said he would support whoever becomes the party’s candidate in 2024, but also expressed interest in another potential candidate, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
McCrory unsuccessfully sought a position in the Trump administration shortly after his gubernatorial defeat in 2016. During the debate, Walker hinted at a private meeting with the former president, at which, according to him, Trump promised to support him in the elective position he decided to take.
But in June 2021, Trump offered to suddenly support Bada, whose the number of polls has increased in recent months, more and more voters have learned of Trump’s support.
Since then, Trump has doubled his support for Bada and done put your reputation at stake in other key races.
An outside group in Washington, D.C., Club for Growth Action, helped deliver the message through $ 14 million he promised spend on raising the primary rate of Bada.
2. Walker and McCrory discuss their immigration plans. McCrory and Walker outlined their views on migrants entering the United States and on whether to give priority to Ukrainian refugees in the face of the Russian invasion.
Walker said he is currently opposed to broad federal legislation.
“We cannot negotiate any legislation until the border is secure,” Walker said.
He and McCrory agreed that people coming from war-torn countries should be allowed to enter earlier than others under current U.S. law. Asked whether people who came to the United States illegally as children should be given a path to citizenship, Walker said he was in opposition.
“I will continue to fight for those who come here legally,” Walker said. “I will not put people who came here illegally in front of those who tried to obey the law.”
McCrory said the federal government should give priority to building a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border and enforcing existing laws.
“You have to strictly follow the law first before you decide what to do with the millions of people who have crossed the border,” McCrory said.
3. How to combat climate change. Tuesday night during a debate on Tuesday night touched on one topic that was minimally discussed during the election campaign: tackling environmental degradation through renewable energy.
“I have no problem with science when it comes to learning how we can do things,” Walker said, adding that he supports electric cars and coal.
But he said he was concerned about the tightening of government regulations that could hurt jobs. “I have no problem with the strategy of everything above. I just would never do that if it affects jobs across the country. ”
McCroy, who has spent nearly three decades climbing the ranks of the utility company Due Energy, said he is very concerned about energy independence and opposes the phasing out of natural gas. He said he would also like to do more research on alternative energy sources.
“How are you going to get rid of it in the long run with all the solar panels, which, by the way, I don’t want all the solar panels to take away from our farmland in North Carolina,” McCrory said. “How will we feed the world if all farmland is captured by solar panels? We have some serious environmental problems that we could create by trying to help the environment. ”
4. Bud gets an indirect place on the debate stage. McCrory and Walker expressed disappointment with a video surprise that emerged during the debate, in which moderators broadcast Bada’s answer to a question he was asked in an interview about the board of medical expenses.
The desire to give Badu a platform during the debate particularly angered McCrory, who regularly criticized the congressman’s refusal to appear at any of the four debates to which he was invited.
“If Ted Bada had enough time to do this interview, why the hell didn’t he have enough time to come to this debate and the other three debates?” McCrory asked. “It’s an insult to the people of North Carolina. It’s an insult to all of us, including 11 other people running for the U.S. Senate. Even showing him is an insult, because who doesn’t care what he says if he doesn’t say it in front of other people. “
Veteran of Army combat Marjorie K. Eastman was not invited to the debate.
Walker also joined in, saying, “I’m surprised he has the opportunity to weigh some questions.”
Jonathan Felts, Bada’s chief adviser, said the congressman on Tuesday met in person with voters in Caswell, Mecklenburg, Vance and Warren counties instead of debating. The company reported earlier that day that Badu was left to visit 19 counties to complete its pre-primaries tour on May 17 from all 100 North Carolina counties.
McCrory and Walker weigh Trump’s influence in US Senate debate without Bada :: WRAL.com
Source link McCrory and Walker weigh Trump’s influence in US Senate debate without Bada :: WRAL.com