Name: Pat McCrory

Party: Republican

Age: 56

Family: His wife Ann and their dog Mo

Address: Charlotte

Occupation, past jobs: Former Mayor of Charlotte

Education: Catawba College, Political Science and Education

Political experience: Longest serving Mayor of Charlotte

Military experience: N/A

Campaign website: www.PatMcCrory.com

1. How do you differ from your general election opponents in background positions or philosophy?

North Carolina has the 5th highest unemployment rate in the nation, and private sector job growth has been five times slower than state government job growth over the last decade. While other states are turning around their economies by supporting private sector job growth with business friendly policies, Lt. Governor Dalton and Gov. Perdue believe growing government is the only answer. North Carolina must grow the economy by unleashing the private sector, not growing government. Walter Dalton was quoted as saying that his agenda and Governor Perdue’s “are very much the same.” My vision and style of leadership could not be more different than Governor Perdue.

2. What are your top four priorities if you’re elected?

1. Fix our broken economy and get North Carolinians back to work.
2. Reform our education system so our students acquire the skills necessary to get a job.
3. Fix our broken government. The good ol’ boy and girl patronage system of state government has placed failed policies and special interests ahead of working families, taxpayers and businesses.
4. Get North Carolina into the energy business.

3. What policy changes do you support to help spur job growth in North Carolina and U.S.?

North Carolina’s economic development brand is currently being diminished by high taxes, excessive regulation and broken state government. We must unleash our energy resources, modernize our tax code to spur job creation, create a long-term vision for transportation and infrastructure, and make government more business-friendly.

4. Recent considerations by the N.C. General Assembly explored privatizing North Carolina’s Pre-K program. What are the pros and cons of privatizing schools in North Carolina?

Right now, our high schools are failing to graduate 1 in 5 students and of those that continue on to a community college, 65% need remedial math or English coursework. This is a sign of tragic failures earlier in a student’s educational career. In fact, only 34% of 4th grade students in North Carolina can read at or above grade level, and 44% are at or above grade level in mathematic proficiency. I believe that we must reform our education system to focus on student achievement, and one way to do that is to end social promotions after the third grade and devote more resources to the crucial early years of a child’s education to ensure students are learning fundamental skills necessary for future success. As governor, I will also work to strengthen the entire education system as a whole to focus on student achievement by breaking down silos between Pre-K, K-12, community colleges and universities.

5. North Carolina typically has lower incomes and a higher unemployment rate than the rest of the nation. What would you do to improve the economy in North Carolina?

North Carolina’s economy must build, produce, innovate and grow things, and our tax code should incentivize these activities in the private sector. I believe we must also cut the individual income tax for all North Carolinians and reduce corporate income tax rates for businesses. We must unleash North Carolina’s energy resources right under our feet and off our coast. We must make government more business-friendly, by taking actions such as streamlining North Carolina’s inadequate and inefficient permitting processes and appoint people who understand the private sector.

North Carolina Commissioner of Agriculture

Name: Walter Smith

Party: Democrat

Age: 58

Family: Married to the former Sherri Casstevens of Boonville. I have 2 sons, a daughter-in-law, and a grandson

Occupation: Retired from the USDA Farm Service Agency, currently owns and operates a poultry farm

Education: Received a BS in Agricultural Engineering from North Carolina State University

Political Experience: Served as Mayor of Boonville from 1989 – 1993

Campaign Website: www.votewaltersmith.com

1. What experiences do you have that qualify you for this position?

I was born and raised on a family farm, I have taught vocational agriculture, have worked with the US. Dept of Agriculture administering federal farm programs working directly with the farmers in Yadkin County, and have served on several agricultural boards both locally and statewide. I have also worked closely with the North Carolina Division of Soil and Water and the N.C. Forestry Service for the past 30 years and both of these agencies have just been put under the jurisdiction of the Department of Agriculture. Living in the heart of wine country I have a good understanding of the wine industry and what their needs are. The wine industry was just transferred to the Department of Agriculture this year.

2. What do you see as the most important issues facing the Department of Agriculture and agriculture in general in North Carolina?

Preservation of our family farms and the continued growth of agriculture while protecting the environment. We must continue to ensure that our large farms have the resources available to them to continue to be profitable and to increase crop production. We must reduce unnecessary regulations, increase research and development, and aggressively market all of our agricultural commodities. We must also find innovative ways to make small family farms profitable again so that we can pass these farms down to a younger generation who will continue to farm the land instead of selling it. We can and must do all of this while at the same time working to preserve our natural resources.

3. How would you define yourself politically, and how does your political philosophy show itself in your past achievements and present campaign platform?

I am a Democrat, but agriculture is my politics. It has been all of my life. I don’t look at issues as republican or democrat. I look at them to see if they are good for our farmers and consumers in North Carolina. I believe in using common sense to solve problems and I believe in treating everyone equally and fairly. I tried to help every farmer who came into the FSA Office and treat them with the respect they deserved. As Commissioner of Agriculture I will to continue to serve all the citizens of North Carolina the same way I have served the farmer of Yadkin County for the past 32 years. My platform is simple. I am for building strong agriculture and saving our family farms, while keeping our food supply safe, and protecting consumers, our environment and our animals.

4. What issues, facing Yadkin County specifically, do you plan to address if you are elected?

There are several issues that I will address that affect Yadkin County specifically. The first is to ensure that we save our family farms. I will encourage more specialty crops and sustainable farming, aggressively pursue markets for all of our crops, streamline regulations and fees so all farms will be on an equal playing field, and continue to fight to keep all of our research stations open. Yadkin is in the heart of wine country, and we have a growing wine industry that is now under the Department of Agriculture. I will work with them help promote and market our North Carolina wines and increase our agri-tourism industry. Our farmers and agribusinesses depend on a $5 million exemption allowed by current estate laws so they can hand down their farms and businesses to their family without them having to sell it to pay off the taxes. When this law expires at the end of this year the exemption will go to $1 million. $1 million may sound like a lot, but it doesn’t take much land, buildings, and equipment for an estate to be worth that much. I will fight to restore the exemption back to $5 million for farmers and agribusiness owners.

Name: Steve Troxler

Party: Republican

Age: 60

Family: Wife, Sharon; sons, Jeremy Troxler and wife Margaret and Shawn Troxler and wife Lauren; four grandchildren

Address: PO Box 1177, Browns Summit, NC 27214

Occupation, past jobs: Farmer, Commissioner of Agriculture since 2005

Education: B.S. degree in conservation from NC State University

Political experience: Commissioner of Agriculture since 2005

Campaign website: www.stevetroxler.com

1. What experiences do you have that qualify you for this position?

Leadership positions in various agricultural associations, two terms as Commissioner of Agriculture, past president of Southern Association of Departments of Agriculture, current president of National Association of Departments of Agriculture

2. What do you see as the most important issues facing the Department of Agriculture and agriculture in general in North Carolina?

The disappearance of farm and forest land for development, the advancing average age of farmers, young people returning to the farm for their livelihood, making sure the regulatory environment that farmers operate under is not prohibitive, marketing North Carolina agricultural products locally, nationally and internationally.

3. How would you define yourself politically, and how does your political philosophy show itself in your past achievements and present campaign platform?

I am conservative and realistic. I have helped build the Department of Agriculture to the point that it’s second to none—all at a time with the Department’s budget remained flat.

4. What issues, facing Yadkin County specifically, do you plan to address if you are elected?

I am constantly in touch with farmers statewide to determine what they need. I talk to farmers every day, including many from Yadkin County. I intend to continue that practice if I am re-elected. The issues faced by farmers in Yadkin County are similar to those dealt with by farmers statewide.

North Carolina State Senate, District 31

Name: Delmas Parker

Party: Democrat

Age: 74

Address: 7525 Harpers Crossing Lane, Clemmons, NC 27012

Family: Wife, Sue Lewis Parker, son and daughter-in-law, Kevin and April, and three grandchildren

Occupation: Retired educator—elementary, middle, and high school and community college

Education: B.S. from Appalachian State University, M.A. and additional work at University of South Carolina

Political experience: County Chair Gilmore for Governor (1984), Precinct Chair (1986-1990), Ashe County Chair (1990-1997), Coordinator for Gantt for Senate (1996), Fifth Congressional District Chair (1997—1999-2002), Tenth District Vice Chair (1999-2000 ), Candidate for US Congress Tenth District (2000), Vice Chair State Democratic Party (2005-2011)

Campaign Website: N/A

1. How do you differ from your general election opponents in background positions or philosophy?

I am a retired educator, former member of the Ashe County Social Services Board, and former member of the economic development board, Ashe County, North Carolina. In the General Assembly, I want to help create a new level of participation among all voters by making it clear that in the legislature, their concerns will be addressed in real time, that every voice matters, and that every voice will be heard. I stand for principles that promote decency and justice for all people. As a legislator, these principles will guide my decisions as we work together to shape the future direction of North Carolina. Together, we can build the legislature into a force that serves all of our people and that represents real values and practical ideas that address the problems of working families.

2. What are your top four priorities if you’re elected?

As a legislator, I will support policies that: address poverty in North Carolina, fully fund pre-k programs such as Smart Start and More at Four, fully fund public education, the community college system, NC School of the Arts, Governor’s School, the Teaching Fellows program, and university programs, support the “Dream Act”, and support women’s preventive health programs.

3. What policy changes do you support to help spur job growth in North Carolina and U.S.?

To insure that our state has a world class educational system that enables students to participate in the new innovative and technological economy. To encourage innovation coming out of the Research Triangle and the university system that produces jobs for our people and utilizes the community college system to train and retrain our work force.

4. Recent considerations by the N.C. General Assembly explored privatizing North Carolina’s Pre-K program. What are the pros and cons of privatizing schools in North Carolina?

I do not support vouchers or privatization of the educational system because this would drain funding from our public schools. The public schools are charged with the responsibility of providing equality of opportunity for all our children- regardless of gender, ethnicity, disability, social status or geography. I am opposed to vouchers because they hurt public education. Schools need every penny they have to educate our kids.

5. North Carolina typically has lower incomes and a higher unemployment rate than the rest of the nation. What would you do to improve the economy in North Carolina?

Train a work force that is attractive for new business. Support efforts to preserve the family farm with incentives for young people going into farming. Support the wine industry with new marketing ideas such as developing pottery and cheese to go with the marketing of wine. Develop tourism in the Yadkin Valley as a jumping off point for skiing and mountain tourism. Higher incomes will come with a knowledge based work force. Education is the key to future growth and prosperity. Equality of opportunity for young people and support for our public educational systems will produce future growth.

Name: Peter S. Brunstetter

Party: Republican

Age: 56

Family: Wife and four adult children

Address: 3054 Panther Ridge Lane, Lewisville NC 27023

Occupation, past jobs: Attorney and Partner, Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice LLP; focus on business and health care law

Education: Tulane University, B.A., 1977; University of Virginia, J.D., 1984

Political experience: Forsyth County Board of Commissioners 1991-2004 (Board Chair from 1994-2004); NC Senate 2006-present District 31 (Co-Chair Appropriations Committee; Chair Judiciary I Committee; Vice Chair Rules Committee)

Military experience: US Navy 1977-81 (Surface Warfare Officer, USS Briscoe (DD 977)); US Naval Reserves 1981-1990

Campaign website: http://pete4senatenc.com/

1. How do you differ from your general election opponents in background positions or philosophy?

I don’t really know my opponent that well. My guess is that I would tend to be more fiscally and socially conservative than he might be.

2. What are your top four priorities if you’re elected?

1. Job growth
2. Reform tax code
3. Education reform
4. Control government spending

3. What policy changes do you support to help spur job growth in North Carolina and U.S.?

Comprehensive regulatory reform to reduce regulatory burdens on business growth and development; tax reform to provide proper environment for private sector job growth; supported medical malpractice and tort reform to encourage private sector job growth; education reform to more properly prepare our children for jobs in the 21st century workplace.

4. Recent considerations by the N.C. General Assembly explored privatizing North Carolina’s Pre-K program. What are the pros and cons of privatizing schools in North Carolina?

I assume you are referring to charter schools. Pros: Allows parents to choose where to send their kids and how to educate them; provides competition for our core public schools; allows for creative education concepts to be developed; recognizes that not all children learn the same way. Cons: Potentially diverts public school dollars from our traditional public schools.

5. North Carolina typically has lower incomes and a higher unemployment rate than the rest of the nation. What would you do to improve the economy in North Carolina?

We have already gotten to work on improving NC’s economy. In 2011-12, we closed a $2.5 billion budget deficit without raising taxes; we allowed temporary income and sales tax surcharges to expire; we provided immediate tax relief to small businesses; we passed sweeping regulatory reforms to eliminate costly and unnecessary regulatory burdens that were inhibiting job growth; we passed medical malpractice and tort reforms to slow down the race to the courthouse that was inhibiting job growth and development; we passed worker’s compensation reform to provide better controls and cost containment for a system that was hurting small business. We are also pursuing comprehensive education reform with an eye towards improving the level of preparation our kids have for the types of jobs they will be pursuing in the 21st century economy.

North Carolina House of Representatives, District 73

Name: William Stinson

Party: Democratic

Age: 48

Family: Married to Laura Stinson for 25 years, son at Forbush High School, daughter at Wake Forest University

Address: 3700 Stinson Road, Boonville, NC

Occupation, past jobs: Farmer, Yadkin Soil and Water Conservation District Employee

Education: Attended Starmount High School, majored in Engineering and Economics at NC State University

Political experience: While at Yadkin Soil and Water District I faced many political challenges to implement the 1985 Farm Bill and to lay ground work for the just completed 5-D reservoir on South Deep Creek.

Campaign Website: N/A

1. How do you differ from your general election opponent in background positions or philosophy?

I differ from my opponent in that I was born, raised and educated in North Carolina. The people of the 73rd district are my friends, neighbors and kinfolks, which gives me a much more urgent desire to fight for the people of the district. Our grandfathers did all they could to educate our fathers and our fathers did all they could to educate us. Now, the leadership in Raleigh thinks this generation should fend for themselves in getting an education; that is not North Carolina values.

2. What are your top four priorities if you’re elected?

1. Restore education as a priority for North Carolina
2. Cut wasteful political appointments in Raleigh
3. Establish transparency in budget and spending in state government
4. Work with all levels of government to bring jobs and economic development to this district

3. What policy changes do you support to help spur job growth in North Carolina and the U.S.?

Our government policy makers could learn a few lessons from the agricultural community. Lesson one: on the farm, the more one produces the more one can consume, meaning we have to return to a production minded society in which everyone contributes to the growth of the economy. If we reform entitlements so that all can produce and contribute to the economy then through tax policy we can encourage companies to share the fruits of productivity gains with the workers producing those profits. In the last two decades American workers productivity is up while real wages have declined. The economy would explode if the American worker returned to earning a livable income.

4. Recent considerations by the N.C. General Assembly explored privatizing North Carolina’s Pre-K program. What are the pros and cons of privatizing schools in North Carolina?

Before More At Four was in public schools it used private contractors and my wife worked for private contractors and they always put profit before the education and well being of the children. Because of the poor performance of the private contractors, More At Four was put in the public schools. Then the current Assembly ended More At Four and sent pre-school education back to the same people that screwed up the first time. If private schools can’t get pre-school education right, why should we think they could help K-12 education?

5. North Carolina typically has lower incomes and a higher unemployment rate than the rest of the nation. What would you do to improve the economy of North Carolina?

For too long North Carolina relied on furniture and textile jobs which have been outsourced to lower wage countries. We need to attract higher technology industries, but those companies won’t come here unless we are willing to train the workforce for those jobs.

Name: Mark Hollo

Party: Republican

Age: 54

Family: Married for 35 years to Barbara. Two sons: Robert and Scott.

Address: Taylorsville, NC

Occupation, past jobs: Physician Assistant for 29 years. Partner in Family Care Center medical office.

Education: Southern Illinois University, Bowman-Gray School of Medicine of Wake Forest University

Political experience: North Carolina House of Representatives 2005-06 and 2011- present

Military experience: Served as a Captain in the United States Air Force Reserve

Campaign website: www.Holloforhouse.com

1. How do you differ from your general election opponent in background positions or philosophy?

I believe that people know how to spend their own money better than government. Lower the taxes, not raise them. Less government rules and regulations are needed. I have been endorsed by the NRA because I support the second amendment to the Constitution protecting gun rights. I have been endorsed by the North Carolina Right to Life organization because I believe that life begins at conception.

2. What are your top four priorities if you’re elected?

1. Improve education
2. Further reduce taxes and government wasteful spending
3. Economic growth
4. Promote and protect our traditional family values

3. What policy changes do you support to help spur job growth in North Carolina and the U.S.?

Further reduction of regulation and business taxes will help businesses expand and hire more workers. I will continue to support smaller government.

4. Recent considerations by the N.C. General Assembly explored privatizing North Carolina’s Pre-K program. What are the pros and cons of privatizing schools in North Carolina?

Privatization of schools gives parents choices in where they want to send their children for an education. It increases competition between types of schools and then both improve. Whatever works for our children is what is important. The right choice is different for different families. Some parents may prefer public schools for what they can offer, while some parents prefer a private school. I believe it should be up to the parents to choose.

5. North Carolina typically has lower incomes and a higher unemployment rate than the rest of the nation. What would you do to improve the economy in North Carolina?

The General Assembly in the past two years has cut taxes by over a billion dollars, and reduced the size of government. Further reductions of taxes and regulation will spur the economy and give the freedom to businesses to expand and hire more workers. North Carolina needs to be competitive with other States to attract new business and to diversify the types of businesses here. We need to continue to build on our educational system to be sure that graduates are prepared for the workforce upon graduation.

North Carolina Supreme Court Associate Justice

Name: Sam J. Ervin, IV

Age: 56

Occupation & Employer: Judge, North Carolina Court of Appeals

Undergraduate Education: Davidson College, A.B., magna cum laude, 1981

Juris Doctor School & Year: Harvard Law School, J.D., cum laude, 1981

Other Degrees: Not Applicable

Years lived in North Carolina: 56

Campaign Web Site: www.ErvinforSupremeCourt.com

1. What qualifies you to serve?

I believe that I am qualified to serve as a Justice of the Supreme Court of North Carolina based upon my education, professional experience, and record of judicial and quasi-judicial service. After graduating with honors from Harvard Law School in 1981, I practiced law with the Morganton, North Carolina, firm of Byrd, Byrd, Ervin, Whisnant, McMahon & Ervin, P.A., and its predecessors from 1981 until 1999. During that time, I was involved in handling a wide variety of civil, criminal, and administrative matters, including many appeals to the Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court. In 1999, I was nominated for a seat on the North Carolina Utilities Commission by Governor James B. Hunt, Jr., and confirmed by the General Assembly. From 1999 until 2009, I served as a member of the Utilities Commission, which is responsible for regulating the rates charged and service provided by privately-owned electric, natural gas, telecommunications, and water and sewer companies and which functions very much like a court. During my tenure as a Utilities Commissioner, I served as Chair of the Committee on Electricity of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners. In 2008, I was elected to the Court of Appeals, on which I have served since early 2009. As a Judge of the Court of Appeals, I have written almost 350 opinions and have been involved in deciding over 900 cases. I believe that an analysis of my opinions indicates that I have the ability to decide individual cases in a fair and impartial manner without attempting to further any particular political or ideological agenda. Deciding cases in that manner is the ultimate responsibility of any judicial official.

2. How do you define yourself politically? How does that impact your judicial approach?

I do not believe that appellate judges should attempt to effectuate a particular political or ideological agenda in deciding specific cases. Instead, I believe that the work of an appellate judge involves an effort to decide specific cases based on a fair, impartial, and dispassionate effort to apply the existing law to a particular set of facts. My career as a member of the Utilities Commission and as a Judge of the Court of Appeals demonstrates that I make every effort to decide cases in that manner. I have not hesitated to rule against any particular party or interest in the event that my understanding of the law and the facts caused me to conclude that such a ruling would be appropriate. On the other hand, I have not hesitated to rule in favor of any particular party or interest if I thought that the law and the facts called for such a result. I have typically declined to comment on the merits of particular policy-related questions during both my campaign for the Court of Appeals in 2008 and my campaign for the Supreme Court in 2012 because the political views of a particular member of the judiciary should not affect the manner in which that person decides a particular case and because expressing opinions concerning such issues could impair public confidence in the fairness and impartiality of the judicial system.

3. What do you feel was the U.S. Supreme Court’s most important recent decision? Did you agree with the majority?

The United States Supreme Court regularly makes decisions addressing many important issues of federal constitutional and statutory law. As a result of the fact that the Supreme Court’s decisions invariably involve important legal issues, it is difficult to select a single decision or group of decisions as the most important. Among the recent decisions that I believe to be of particular importance are a series of Supreme Court opinions addressing issues relating to independent expenditures made in support of political candidates, such as Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, 558 U.S. 50 (2010), and Arizona Free Enterprise Club’s Freedom PAC v. Bennett, ___ U.S. ___ (2011). The decisions in question have eliminated most, if not all, of the restraints concerning the nature and extent of such independent expenditures and invalidated provisions of state public financing programs that authorized the provision of rescue money to publicly-financed candidates faced with independent expenditure efforts on behalf of their opponents. As a result of the fact that I may be called upon to make a decision applying the principles enunciated in these decisions at some point in the future, I do not believe that it would be appropriate for me to express an opinion concerning the extent, if any, to which these decisions do or do not reflect an appropriate understanding of the free speech principles of the First Amendment. Although such expenditures may be legal, I am very concerned about their impact upon the continued practical viability of North Carolina’s judicial public financing program and believe that the ultimate effect of these decisions will be increasingly expensive and politicized judicial races, an outcome which is likely to adversely affect the perceived independence of our judiciary and result in increased public cynicism about the extent to which judges do, in fact, make fair, impartial, and non-political decisions in specific cases.

Name as it Appears on the Ballot: Paul Martin Newby

Age: 57

Occupation & Employer: Justice, North Carolina Supreme Court

Undergraduate Education:B.A. degree in Public Policy Studies (magna cum laude) from Duke University, 1977

Juris Doctor School & Year: UNC-Chapel Hill School of Law, 1980

Other Degrees: Honorary Doctor of Laws, Southern Wesleyan University (2007)

Years lived in North Carolina: 57, I am a lifelong resident of North Carolina, born in Asheboro and grew up in Jamestown, NC.

Campaign website: www.newbyforcourt.com

1. What qualifies you to serve?

I am qualified for three principal reasons: my judicial experience, having served eight years as a Justice which has earned me widespread, bipartisan support; my stewardship of my position as a Justice; and my broad legal experience before being elected a Justice, which is unique among my colleagues.

For the last eight years it has been my privilege to serve our State as a Justice on the NC Supreme Court. I have strived to fairly, impartially, and consistently apply the law in every case. During that time, I have written more opinions than any other Justice on the Court, and almost twice as many civil opinions. I have a reputation of being a hard-working, honest, and thoughtful Justice. My work has resulted in widespread bipartisan support across the State, including endorsements from four former Chief Justices, two of each party, as well as legal, business, and law enforcement groups.

During my tenure on the Court, I have been a good ambassador for the judicial branch. I am the first lawyer in my family. My mother was a school teacher and my dad was an hourly worker. I was first introduced to the law while working towards becoming an Eagle Scout. I am privileged to serve as a justice and work hard to honor the position. My legal scholarship has resulted in my selection to provide continuing education to judges and lawyers and to teach law school courses. I have lectured and co-authored a book on the North Carolina Constitution. I received the NC Bar Association’s Constitutional Rights Award. I believe civic education is important and frequently speak to school groups and civic organizations. As an Eagle Scout, I have served the Boy Scouts of North Carolina in a variety of ways and have been recognized as Scouter of the Year and as a Distinguished Eagle. As a result of my work with schools and scouts, I received the Citizen Lawyer Award. In addition to my professional service, I have operated our family farm since 1996, which keeps me grounded in common sense.

Unique for an appellate judge, my legal background includes business and real estate law. During my first four years of law practice, I represented buyers and sellers of real estate, small business owners, lenders and borrowers. I then became General Counsel of Cannon Mills Realty, handling all the company’s legal matters. For almost 20 years before I was elected to the Supreme Court, I was an Assistant United States Attorney. While I prosecuted some criminal cases, I was primarily a civil attorney handling a wide variety of matters in federal and state court, including personal injury, secured transactions, employment, and bankruptcy. This diverse civil and criminal law background has served me well on the Supreme Court.

2. How do you define yourself politically? How does that impact your judicial approach?

I am a conservative, meaning I strive to conserve our founding principles. I believe in following the framework of government instituted by the framers of our State and federal Constitutions. Each branch of government has a unique role. The role of the Judicial branch is to fairly and impartially apply the law in every case, not to legislate from the bench. While politics has no place in our courts, judicial philosophy is vital in the selection of judges. For the last eight years I have practiced judicial self-restraint, not legislating from the bench.

The US is unique among nations, holding our God-given rights are superior to governmental power. It is the role of government to protect these fundamental rights. Courts must insure that government does not overstep its limits. While judicial races are non-partisan and no party affiliation will be on the ballot, I am a registered Republican.

3. What do you feel was the U.S. Supreme Court’s most important recent decision? Did you agree with the majority?

The healthcare decision was the most important. I disagree with the ultimate holding that the law was constitutional because the federal government has the power to tax inaction as well as action. I believe the US Constitution limits the power of the federal government, and that the authority given to the government under the Act violates those limitations.

Reach Lindsay Craven at 679-2341 or at lcraven@heartlandpublications.com.