(The Center Square) – Four Republican candidates for North Carolina’s 1st Congressional District on Thursday backed President Donald Trump’s policy on tariffs, saying they would help bring long term economic gain to the district.
On Friday, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down many of Trump’s tariffs, saying they were not allowed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.
Trump vowed to impose the banned tariffs under other U.S. laws.
Thursday’s Congressional debate opened with a tape from a farmer complaining that the tariffs had caused China to cut its purchases of tobacco from North Carolina.
“China was literally ran off because of the Trump tariffs,” the farmer said. “They quit buying U.S. tobacco, which gave us an over supply of tobacco.”
A transfer truck of tobacco is selling for $30,000, less than it did last year, “All because of tariffs,” the farmer said.
But the four Congressional candidates did not waiver in their support for Trump’s policies.
“I think the tariffs are a temporary measure to address trade imbalance that previous Democrat presidents have been putting into practice that put us in a really terrible position in terms of tariffing our goods at ridiculous rates, while allowing other nations to put their cheap and untariffed products into America,” frontrunner Laurie Buckout said. “It’s time that we leveled the playing field.”
Candidate Asa Buck said most farmers he has talked to understand what Trump is trying to accomplish with tariffs.
“It is about leveling the playing field,” Buck said. “The folks that I talked to understand that sometimes there has to be some short-term pinch in order to effect a long-term gain.”
In a hurricane-related question, the candidates were asked if the Federal Emergency Management Agency is “fixable” following criticism of slow response after Hurricane Helene in the fall of 2024.
Buck replied that states might do a better job than FEMA.
“Like any other federal agency, they are not always very efficient and effective,” the retiring Carteret County sheriff said. “It’s like anything else. I think most things should be passed down to the state level where people are more responsive and more accountable to the people. Just provide that funding to the state.”
State Sen. Bobby Hanig, R-Currituck, agreed.
“FEMA is unfixable,” he said. “FEMA takes two years to reimburse communities that put out money. The bureaucracy is so bloated. It gets so convoluted. They can’t manage it. That money needs to come to the states.”
On a question about rural hospitals that have closed because of declining federal reimbursements for Medicaid, candidate Eric Rouse said free-market competition is the answer.
“Obamacare has been a disaster,” he said of the Affordable Care Act. “We need to open up so we can sell across state lines.”
On inflation, the candidates again backed Trump’s policies.
“The ‘drill baby drill’ actually getting back to American energy, we’re beginning to feel the effects of that,” Buckout said, referring to Trump’s energy policies. “As gas prices go down, other prices associated with products, transportation, etc., those go down.”
The winner of the Republican primary will face incumbent Democratic U.S. Rep. Don Davis. In a tight Congressional race nationwide, North Carolina is pivotal to which party controls the U.S House.
Candidate Ashley-Nicole Russell did not participate in the debate Thursday.
A recent poll showed Buckhouse leading followed Buck, Hanig, Rouse and Russell.
