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Raleigh, it’s time to pay attention. With the overturn of Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court has given the power back to the states. Never before has it mattered as much as it does now to be fully informed on the position of your state senators and representatives. So, we did the hard work for you and asked the hard questions. With the lingering threat of a reversal of a host of other human rights and personal freedoms, we wanted to know where our candidates stand on such hot-button issues as abortion and same-sex marriage. Many complied but a good number also declined to respond.
In front of the general election on Nov. 8, here is what the Wake County General Assembly candidates for their stance on such hot-button issues as abortion and same-sex marriage.
Click here for City Council elevator pitches, as well as council candidates’ extended stances on a range of issues including affordable housing, development and more.
NC State Senate: Wake County Districts 13–18
David Bankert
Did not respond
Lisa Grafstein
- Pro-life or pro-choice: I am pro-choice and believe we should all be allowed to make our own health care decisions.
- Right of same-sex couples to marry (for or against): I believe in marriage equality. A fundamental right must be a fundamental right for everyone.
Micheal Munger
- Pro-life or pro-choice: Personally pro-life, but pro-choice (it’s each woman’s right to choose with her doctor; it’s none of the state’s business)
- Right of same-sex couples to marry (for or against): All pairs of adults have the right to enter a civil contract, which the state endorses by calling them married, with everything that implies legally. But churches cannot be compelled to recognize those civil marriages any more than the church can block the state from granting a civil marriage license. They are separate spheres.
Chris Baker
Did not respond
Dan Blue (incumbent)
- Pro-life or pro-choice: I am a proud pro-choice advocate. Every person should have the freedom to control their own body. I respect women’s rights to bodily autonomy.
- Right of same-sex couples to marry (for or against): I fully support same-sex marriage. Every adult should have access to the benefits of marriage and should be recognized by our government.
Matthew Laszacs
Did not respond
Sammie Brooks
Did not respond
Jay Chaudhuri (Incumbent)
- Pro-life or pro-choice: Pro-choice
- Right of same-sex couples to marry (for or against): For
Emanuela Prister
Did not respond
Gale Adcock (Current Rep., District 41)
Did not respond
James Powers
- Pro-life or pro-choice: I am pro-life; however, there are situations that call for other decisions:
- When the baby is confirmed that the child can’t live a normal life, the final decision is made by the mother and father.
- If a woman is raped or through incest the woman has that choice to make
- If the pregnancy could cause death or fatal damage to the mother, if she and her doctor and husband all agree that would be a reason to abort the pregnancy.
Not one of us exists without the copulation of our parents or the relationship between a man and woman. This was and is God’s plan for us and society—a person doesn’t have the right to play God.
Micheal Trudeau
- Pro-life or pro-choice: I’m adamantly pro-choice. As for abortion protections, my campaign is calling for statewide abortion sanctuary legislation now:
- Enact legislation similar to that spearheaded by Councilmember Kshama Sawant in Seattle (do not enforce anti-abortion laws)
- Do protect pregnant people, doctors and other care providers facing persecution for abortion
- Prohibit police from arresting patients and providers or aiding investigations related to anti-abortion laws in the U.S.
We can make all of North Carolina an abortion-safe sanctuary.
- Right of same-sex couples to marry (for or against): I’m adamantly pro-same-sex marriage.
Dorothy (Dee) Watson
- Pro-life or pro-choice: For Libertarians, abortion is a complex issue because the rights of the mother conflict with the rights of the unborn. That is why Libertarians don’t have a consensus on the issue. We don’t have a consensus, but we are each people with our own minds. This is what I believe: Every abortion is a tragedy because it is the loss of a child. Abortion is far too frequent. We must make adoption easier, more flexible and more available for mothers. There is no need for saline or digoxin abortions because no child who can live independently of the mother should ever be aborted. A small subset of abortions happen for medical reasons or rape, and for that reason, early abortions need to be legal and safe unregulated up to 24 weeks. If you are really pro-choice, then you will do everything possible to help a mother keep her child. Many of these mothers would choose life if circumstances permit, and the abortion epidemic is a societal failure, not a solution.
- Right of same-sex couples to marry (for or against): I do not think the government should be involved in marriage, and all churches should have full autonomy in determining what marriages they recognize. Unfortunately, the government has a large amount of legislation written around marriage. While this is the case, government marriages should be available to all consenting adults.
Sydney Batch (Incumbent)
- Pro-life or pro-choice: I am pro-choice. I have co-sponsored a bill in the NC Senate to codify Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey into North Carolina law.
- Right of same-sex couples to marry (for or against): I am for same-sex marriage. I believe that everyone deserves to marry the person he/she loves regardless of gender, and I will continue to fight to protect same-sex couples’ rights.
Patrick Bowersox
- Pro-life or pro-choice: Pro-choice
- Right of same-sex couples to marry (for or against): For
Mark Cavaliero
- Pro-life or pro-choice: I support reasonable restrictions on abortion, but I wouldn’t vote to ban it completely, and I wouldn’t support any legislation that did not include exceptions for rape, incest or to save the life of the mother.
- Right of same-sex couples to marry (for or against): I support the rights of same-sex couples to have a fully legal civil union; I see marriage as a religious ceremony and would leave that up to their church.
Ryan Brown
- Pro-life or pro-choice: Abortion is a complicated issue for all people. If they claim to have an easy solution or policy issue, they have almost certainly not thought through the issue completely. I believe abortion to be murder. I am also aware that drugs are winning the war on drugs and guns are winning the war on guns. Simple regulations and laws will not necessarily reduce abortions. I have no specific policy I would try to implement at the moment, as I am still not fully decided on how best to address the issue.
- Right of same-sex couples to marry (for or against): As a Libertarian, I do not believe the government has any right to interfere in the contractual agreements of voluntary adults. Consistent with that principle, the government should not promote or inhibit marriage among any category of people.
EC Sykes
No comment
Mary Wills Bode
- Pro-life or pro-choice: Pro-choice
- Right of same-sex couples to marry (for or against): For
NC House of Representatives: Wake County Districts 11, 21, 33–41, 49, 66
Allison Dahle (Incumbent)
- Pro-life or pro-choice: I believe abortion is a medical decision that should be made between a woman and her doctor.
- Right of same-sex couples to marry (for or against): Same-sex couples should be able to marry! I am married to my wife, and I am a female.
Gerard Falzon
No comment
Ya Liu
- Pro-life or pro-choice: Pro-choice
- Right of same-sex couples to marry (for or against): For
Joshua Morris
- Pro-life or pro-choice: Pro-life
- Right of same-sex couples to marry (for or against): For
Chris Costello
Did not respond
Stephanie Dingee
Did not respond
Rosa Gill (Incumbent)
- Pro-life or pro-choice: I am pro-choice. Decisions about reproductive health care should be made by the woman, her family and her doctor—not politicians.
- Right of same-sex couples to marry (for or against): I am in favor of individuals making their choices about whom to love and/or marry.
Tim Longest
- Pro-life or pro-choice: I am unequivocally pro-choice. The right to abortion not only ensures women’s privacy in health care decisions, but also their freedom to make their own decisions about their bodies. I will strongly oppose any new restrictions on abortion and will sustain Gov. Cooper’s veto of those restrictions. I support codifying Roe v. Wade into state law to defend this right.
- Right of same-sex couples to marry (for or against): I am a strong defender of marriage equality for same-sex couples. I believe everyone should be able to marry who they love, regardless of gender. After Dobbs, there is a real risk that protection for same-sex marriage is also at stake. I would support a constitutional amendment to repeal Amendment One, the ban on same-sex marriage in the North Carolina Constitution.
Kat McDonald
Did not respond
Ashley Seshul
Did not respond
Terence Everitt (Incumbent)
Did not respond
Joseph Serio
Did not respond
Fred Von Canon
Did not respond
John Harris
Did not respond
Julie Von Haefen (Incumbent)
- Pro-life or pro-choice: I am proud to be a pro-choice candidate and leader for abortion rights in the General Assembly. I have been endorsed by numerous pro-choice organizations, including Planned Parenthood South Atlantic and Pro-Choice NC. I have introduced numerous pieces of legislation supporting abortion rights, including a bill that would codify Roe v. Wade into state law.
- Right of same-sex couples to marry (for or against): I fully support the right of same-sex couples to marry. I am proud to have been endorsed by many LGBTQ advocacy organizations, most notably Equality NC.
Kyle Ward
- Pro-life or pro-choice: Pro-choice
- Right of same-sex couples to marry (for or against): For
Christine Kelly
- Pro-life or pro-choice: Pro-choice
- Right of same-sex couples to marry (for or against): For
Erin Paré (Incumbent)
Did not respond
Christopher Robinson
Did not respond
Abe Jones (Incumbent)
Did not respond
Christopher Mizelle
Did not respond
Greg Jones
Did not respond
James Roberson (Incumbent)
Did not respond
Marilyn Avila
Did not respond
Joe John (Incumbent)
- Pro-life or pro-choice: As an advocate for the constitutional right of all women to reproductive health care, I favor the codification of the Roe v. Wade decision into North Carolina law.
- Right of same-sex couples to marry (for or against): I support the right of same-sex couples to marry. The government has no right to tell people who they can or cannot love.
Michael Nelson
Did not respond
Maria Cervania
- Pro-life or pro-choice: Pro-choice
- Right of same-sex couples to marry (for or against): For
Bruce Forster
Did not respond
Kevin Terrett
- Pro-life or pro-choice: No response
- Right of same-sex couples to marry (for or against): I hold the entire LGBTQ+ community as full members and partners in all aspects of life in America and Wake County (a core position of the Libertarian Party since inception in 1971). Beyond that, I support giving local communities the power to enact rules that explicitly recognize the individual rights of the people of any NC locality. Trying to curtail individual rights with a statewide law is an overreach and will accomplish nothing but economic disincentives for the state.
Cynthia Ball (Incumbent)
- Pro-life or pro-choice: Pro-choice—and make no mistake that the November election will decide what our abortion laws will be.
- Right of same-sex couples to marry (for or against): I am for the right of same-sex couples to marry, and given the direction of the U.S. Supreme Court, we must enshrine this in state law.
Micheal Oakes
Did not respond
David Roberston
Did not respond
Ives Brizuela de Sholar
Did not respond
Sarah Crawford (Incumbent Sen., District 18)
Did not respond
Micao Penaflor
Did not respond
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