Editor’s note: The Tribune is currently running a Q&A with local candidates running for political office. U.S. Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-5, is currently being challenged by Democrat Elisabeth Motsinger.
Following redistricting, Congressional District 5 will no longer include Elkin, which will be part of District 6.
The Tribune will also publish a Q&A with U.S. Rep. Howard Coble, R-6, and his challenger, Democrat Tony Foriest.
Virginia Foxx
Incumbent
Party: Republican
Age: 69
Family: Tom Foxx (husband), Theresa (daughter), two grandchildren
Address: Banner Elk, N.C.
Occupation, past jobs: Instructor, Caldwell Community College, Hudson, N.C.; Instructor, Appalachian State University, Boone, N.C.; Assistant Dean, Appalachian State University, Boone, N.C.; President, Mayland Community College, Spruce Pine, N.C., 1987-1994; Landscape nursery owner/operator; Deputy Secretary for Management, North Carolina Department of Administration; Member, Watauga County Board of Education, 1976-1988; Member, North Carolina State Senate, 1994-2004; Member, U.S. House of Representatives, January 3, 2005-present.
Education: Graduated Crossnore High School, Crossnore, N.C., 1961; A.B., University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, N.C., 1968;M.A.C.T., University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, N.C., 1972; Ed.D., University of North Carolina, Greensboro, N.C., 1985
Political experience: Member, Watauga County Board of Education, 1976-1988; Member, North Carolina State Senate, 1994-2004; Member, U.S. House of Representatives, January 3, 2005-present.
Campaign website: virginiafoxx.com
Questionnaire:
1. How do you differ from your general election opponents in background positions or philosophy?
My opponent and I have completely different political philosophies. I believe in limited government, and my opponent is on record supporting a dramatic expansion of the size and cost of the federal government. Ultimately, she is another big government liberal who thinks more government is the answer.
On the other hand, I want to keep taxes low and get government out of the way of job creators so that we grow our economy and help people who don’t have jobs get back to work.
2. What are your top four priorities if you’re elected?
My top priorities are to: 1) reduce federal spending; 2) keep taxes low to encourage economic growth and job creation; 3) support the men and women of our military in order to maintain a strong national defense, and finally; 4) ensure we leave a prosperous, thriving nation to our children and grandchildren.
3. Do you support President Obama’s health care law? If yes, which aspects are most important to retain? If no, what suggestions do you have to contain health care costs and insure more Americans have coverage?
I have been a consistent opponent of Obamacare. It is an enormous expansion of government that drives up healthcare costs for North Carolina families.
In contrast, I cosponsored the Reform Americans Can Afford Act. This legislation lowers costs for patients with pre-existing conditions through the establishment of state reinsurance programs; it would lower healthcare premiums by up to 20% for families and small businesses; and it gives small businesses the power to pool together to get insurance at lower prices.
It does all this without massive government overreach, while also bringing down costs—which Obamacare has demonstrably failed to do.
4. What policy changes do you support to help spur job growth in North Carolina and U.S.?
In short, we need to slash the job-killing regulations and bureaucracy that originate in Washington, D.C. while focusing on keeping taxes and spending in check.
That’s why I opposed President Obama’s misguided stimulus plan. The Obama administration told Americans that if his trillion dollar stimulus package became law unemployment would drop to 5.5%. Instead unemployment today is about 8%, our national debt hit $16 trillion for the first time ever and thousands of North Carolina families still can’t find work.
I opposed this wasteful stimulus bill because I knew big government wouldn’t grow our economy—it would only increase our national debt. After all, the real sources of job creation are entrepreneurs and small businesses.
If we get government off job creators’ backs, by reducing harmful red-tape and government bureaucracy and by keeping taxes low, we will get back to what America does best: growing our economy and creating jobs.
5. What specific steps do you support to help reduce the federal debt balance the budget and trim government?
We should rein in government spending and save money anywhere and everywhere we can. That’s why I support and voted for H.Con.Res. 112, the federal budget plan, which saves taxpayers about $4 trillion over ten years.
It’s a comprehensive solution that reduces federal spending to 20 percent of GDP, down from the budget busting 24 percent today. This is a nearly 20 percent reduction in spending that would get us well on our way to shrinking the size of the federal government and taming the budget.
Elisabeth Motsinger
Challenger
Party: Democrat
Age: 55
Family: Husband, John. Children Christian and Lysandra Sykes, John Motsinger Jr.
Address: 1411 West First St., Winston-Salem, N.C. (campaign headquarters)
6548 Woodmere Drive, Walkertown, NC (residence)
Occupation, past jobs: Physician Assistant since 1989, in practice at The Salem Center since 1998
Education: Physician Assistant training at Wake Forest University. Completing master’s degree in bioethics at Wake Forest University.
Political experience: Twice-elected member of Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Board of Education (2006 and 2010)
Campaign website: www.nc5th.us
1. How do you differ from your general election opponent in background positions or philosophy?
I believe that members of Congress should work on behalf of ALL the citizens in the district. Nothing is more important than family, and elected representatives should support policies that protect and strengthen families. I will work for what is in the best interests of the 5th District, and will not cater to partisan ideologies. I have a proven record of working with those whose opinions and values differ from my own.
2. What are your top four priorities if you’re elected?
I will work to ensure that all Americans have access to basic decent healthcare. I will support policies that protect federal funding for public education. I will promote a woman’s right to choose and access contraception, and will work to prevent government intrusion into healthcare decisions. I will work to preserve Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and other fiscally responsible safety nets that protect our seniors, our children, and those who need temporary assistance to survive.
3. Do you support President Obama’s health care law? If yes, which aspects are most important to retain? If no, what suggestions do you have to contain health care costs and insure more Americans have coverage?
The Affordable Care Act is an attempt to ensure that all Americans have access to basic, decent healthcare, and I support that. I also support the act’s provision that insurance companies cannot deny coverage due to pre-existing conditions. American healthcare is among the most costly in the world, partly because it is a patchwork of programs and not a system that is focused on the health and wellbeing of the patient. If everyone had equal access to healthcare, including preventative care, we would spend less public money on critical care situations.
4.What policy changes do you support to help spur job growth in North Carolina and the U.S.?
Tax incentives should be available to true small businesses and farms, whose owners reinvest in the local community. Companies that export jobs overseas should be penalized. We should invest in green energy technologies that will create good-paying jobs and protect our resources. School lunch programs should purchase local produce rather than commodity produce from corporate farming operations.
5. What specific steps do you support to help reduce the federal debt balance the budget and trim government?
I will support policies that strengthen the middle class by requiring all Americans to pay their fair share in taxes. Military funding must be adequate to maintain our national security, but we cannot continue to finance costly wars. Our first economic priority must be to create good-paying jobs. Trimming the debt cannot be a priority in a recession.
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