Matthew Hoh, Green Party :
-Stopping oil and gas extraction, protecting our air, land and water, and transitioning to green infrastructure, all through a Green New Deal.
-Restoring and increasing federal public funding of research and development.
-Establishing no-cost universal education from pre-K through graduate school and canceling all student debt to allow current and future generations of scientists, academics, researchers and others to prosper and thrive.
Alvin Reed, Republican :
My first science priority is more funding for battery research. Solar and Wind are already cheaper than coal. We are just waiting of cheaper batteries. My second science priority is common sense regulation for artificial Intelligence, AI, research. We need AI to strengthen our economy but we must make sure that AI is done is a way that benefits, and cannot harm, society. We need to encourage at the legislative level businesses to maximize robotic research but find ways for the jobs they take over to be replaced by service jobs.
Matthew Hoh, Green Party :
Climate change requires our state to transition from factory farming toward more sustainable agricultural practices. Our government should support local and small farmers in that transition through subsidies, training programs, and the creation of farming standards that align with growing local economies while assimilating to the changing environment and conditions brought on by the worsening climate collapse.
Alvin Reed, Republican :
Let the farmers do what they are good at, growing husbandry. Government should not be running the farms but rather making sure we have low prices for farm components and a strong economy so that people can afford the food that the farmers grow.
Matthew Hoh, Green Party :
The government should invest in rebuilding infrastructure resilient to natural disasters, especially in poor communities and communities of color, which tend to be hit hardest. These events are increasing, in frequency and intensity, due to climate change. A Green New Deal, as presented by the Green Party, understands these existential dangers to our communities, economy and society. A Green New Deal includes, as interconnected to the energy transition aspects of the plan, an economic transition, such as an economic bill of rights, that addresses the dangers to our economic and societal infrastructure by climate change.
Alvin Reed, Republican :
The legislature should put in place laws that discourage people building in flood zones.
Matthew Hoh, Green Party :
Abortion is an aspect of healthcare, and healthcare is a human right. Healthcare without restrictions should be available to all through a single-payer universal healthcare system that charges no cost at the point of service (e.g., Medicare for All).
The United States has the highest maternal death rate in the developed world. This is a brutal and unjustifiable consequence of a for-profit healthcare system that rations healthcare based on wealth and income. Continuing with such a system is a choice that continues to put profit over people.
Alvin Reed, Republican :
A strong economy will allow everyone to afford the best medical care.
Matthew Hoh, Green Party :
The government should stimulate the creation of STEM-related jobs that pay living wages, ensure safe working conditions for workers at all levels, and allow these workers to organize collectively. As stated above, education from pre-K through graduate school should be universal and no-cost.
Alvin Reed, Republican :
Research and Development in our businesses is paramount to economic growth. We should increase tax incentives towards research.
Matthew Hoh, Green Party :
I support investments in STEM education in K-12, college, and vocational schools, especially in underserved communities.
Alvin Reed, Republican :
STEM is the most important education to help the ecomony. I would like to see increase emphasiis on STM recruitment and retention.
Matthew Hoh, Green Party :
I’ve lost track of the number of NC communities that can’t drink their water from a variety of forms and sources of contamination. The poisoning of our air, land and water by corporations backed and protected by Democrat and Republican politicians is a mass environmental catastrophe that has caused immense environmental harm, devastated wildlife and sickened and killed North Carolinians.
I am afraid we are just beginning to understand the dangers to our state, country and planet from PFAS poisoning. There must be a well-resourced state and federal response to PFAS pollution and accountability for those who have not just polluted but who have enabled and looked the other way.
Alvin Reed, Republican :
We should enforce the regulations that make sense that are already on the books.
Matthew Hoh, Green Party :
These companies need to pay for the required infrastructure. There has been a mania in NC to provide billions in tax breaks and subsidies to highly profitable companies. These incentives have strengthened corporate and bank profits while putting severe stress on communities and working families through overburdened resources, dramatically higher housing costs, and increased property taxes. We also know many of these companies fail to honor the conditions included in the agreements for these tax breaks and subsidies.
Companies must pay for the costs they put on our state, communities and families. This includes transportation infrastructure expansion and modernization. This expanded and modernized transportation infrastructure should be based on clean and renewable energy and be consistent with the demands of climate change.
We also must reform our housing policy to allow for rent control, public banking, and banning corporations from purchasing single-family homes to enable people to live in the towns and cities where they work. Similarly, we need to establish and annually update a living wage to ensure people are not priced out of their communities due to corporate development and gentrification.
Alvin Reed, Republican :
There is no question that we must increase our budget to build more roads in North Carolina to support this economic growth.
Matthew Hoh, Green Party :
We should invest in clean and renewable energy sources like solar, wind, hydroelectricity, and other forms to protect our electrical grid from extreme weather brought on by climate change. We have enough capacity in renewables to support our economy and society. As costs continue to drop for these forms of energy rapidly, the point at which newly constructed renewable sources of power and associated infrastructure will pay for themselves is a short period. I support continued research into nuclear power, but because of safety and waste concerns and the very long development and construction time, I do not support the expansion of nuclear power at this time.
Alvin Reed, Republican :
We should increase our research into fusion. It is our saving grace in ten to twenty years for energy creation.
Ben Clark, Democrat, District 9 :
1) Developing new sources of energy
2) Reversing climate change
3) Ensuring clean drinking water for NC
Will Antico, Republican, District 30 :
Education, Space Exploration, Energy independence.
Sean Haugh, Libertarian, District 31 :
1) Make polluters fully liable for harm caused to people and property, as well as clean-up costs.
2) End subsidies for coastal development.
3) More of a federal issue, open up immigration and visa requirements so that people from all over the world can come to NC to take advantage of and contribute to the amazing educational and scientific opportunities we have here.
Renee Price, Democrat, District 50:
1) clean water and air.
2) climate change mitigation.
3) ecosystem management.
Ben Clark, Democrat, District 9 :
Yes.
Will Antico, Republican, District 30 :
Genetics of the Plants could help.
Sean Haugh, Libertarian, District 31 :
Anyone who depends on soil, air, or water quality for their lives and livelihoods needs greater protection from corporate and government polluters. NC government currently subsidizes industry and development to an absurd degree, without regard to our agricultural and other environmental interests. Also, legalize cannabis and hemp production so farmers will have other crops to depend upon.
Renee Price, Democrat, District 50:
The government should provide safety nets--such as financial assistance, relief, insurance-- for farmers, to assist them when they experience crop failures or low crop yields due to climate change.
Ben Clark, Democrat, District 9 :
Eastern NC has seen a significant reduction in population which lowers the tax base. We have to provide substantial funding at the state and federal levels to ensure small towns in Eastern NC have adequate resources for disaster response and recovery.
Will Antico, Republican, District 30 :
Government should assist with redevelopment as best as can be done.
Sean Haugh, Libertarian, District 31 :
State government could do a much much better job of humanitarian relief after natural disasters. A common theme of all my answers is we need to stop putting so much government support behind overdevelopment and protecting those who contribute to climate change.
Renee Price, Democrat, District 50:
Federal and state governments should channel funds directly to local governments to assist them with natural disaster for resilience and recovery. FEMA and similar governmental agencies should provide financial resources or relief funding to disaster areas expediently so that residents have reasons to stay in their communities and help with the recovery and revitalization.
Ben Clark, Democrat, District 9 :
I'm an IT guy. My opponent is a career politician. Neither of us should be making women's healthcare decisions. I trust women to make their own decisions about their own lives.
Will Antico, Republican, District 30 :
I'm against Abortion, if that's what you're talking about. Other than that, if you're talking about Cancer, any research could be assisted by Government.
Sean Haugh, Libertarian, District 31 :
Women's healthcare issues, including abortion, should remain a private matter between patients and their providers. Politicians should have absolutely no role in that relationship. Where government continues to fund healthcare, that should be administered in a neutral way that is focused solely on that patient-provider relationship.
Renee Price, Democrat, District 50:
The government should support healthcare and clinics that offer sound medical advice and services for women, regardless to the socioeconomic status or financial ability of the women. Government should help assure healthy families for healthy communities.
Ben Clark, Democrat, District 9 :
During my five terms in the NC senate, we invested in STEM research in NC. I will continue that work in the Congress.
Will Antico, Republican, District 30 :
Promote Space exploration. We have a lot of resources that could be used to assist Space X and the US Space Force. We should have a Space Force base here in NC.
Sean Haugh, Libertarian, District 31 :
None directly, better to lower taxes and eliminate useless regulations so that people acting in the free market can do all that stimulating.
Renee Price, Democrat, District 50:
Government should continue to partner with the private sector to bring innovation to North Carolina, and also partner with our community colleges to provide the specialized skills development and education needed to fill 21st century jobs.
Ben Clark, Democrat, District 9 :
In the NC Senate, I supported NC Teaching Fellows and NC Promise to make STEM education more affordable for college students. I'm proud of my record on STEM education access.
Will Antico, Republican, District 30 :
I can't say exactly, but it is something that needs to be kept up on.
Sean Haugh, Libertarian, District 31 :
I prefer a simpler approach, where all students and parents have as many educational choices as possible. A lot of this talk about STEM seems to me to be well-meaning, but still driven by politicians and administrators from the top down, instead of focusing on actually providing education in the sciences for individual students from the ground up.
Renee Price, Democrat, District 50:
STEM, as well as STEAM, should be prioritized in every public school in North Carolina. I also would prioritize STEM education access at HBCUs and UNC Pembroke to prepare teachers for STEM education in K12 public schools.
Ben Clark, Democrat, District 9 :
The district I represent in the NC Senate has a high prevalence of PFAS. I've held businesses accountable for cleaning up the drinking water in my community. I will continue that in Congress.
Will Antico, Republican, District 30 :
If harmful chemicals are being used, we need to keep a strict guideline on there use. As there's no other solution type of situation.
Sean Haugh, Libertarian, District 31 :
Those who put those PFAs out into the wild should have to pay the full cost when government has to come in and clean it up (which they absolutely should do). Until then, this and all other kinds of pollution will be treated as simply the cost of doing business.
Renee Price, Democrat, District 50:
Government at all levels should be monitoring, regulating and reporting the use and discharge of PFAS into our living environments.
Ben Clark, Democrat, District 9 :
NC is doing a good job building new highways and roads. The bipartisan infrastructure bill that President Biden passed will provide significant dollars to help improve transportation infrastructure. Much of that should be invested in alternatives to more cars on the road, like increased rail, bus, biking, and walkable alternatives.
Will Antico, Republican, District 30 :
Roads need to be widened, if possible, new routes created.
Sean Haugh, Libertarian, District 31 :
We need to stop looking at personal automobiles as the only solution for our growing transportation needs. In this, I am more concerned about how to get around town than how to get across the state. We need to recognize that many people use something other than a car to navigate our roads. Future transportation projects need to account for and accommodate these users.
Renee Price, Democrat, District 50:
Our transportation infrastructure should match the type of lifestyles of the populations that are emerging and coming to North Carolina. We need multimodal systems and transit oriented development.
Ben Clark, Democrat, District 9 :
There will be an even greater strain on electricity as more people move to electric cars. We must leverage alternative energy sources. It's an imperative.
Will Antico, Republican, District 30 :
Yes, but with the most safety guidelines that we can have. It's a tough situation that can be handled correctly.
Sean Haugh, Libertarian, District 31 :
Yes, nuclear power would be a huge help right now. In energy as well as transporation, government needs to stop making all our consumer decisions for us, both by repealing subsidies and protections that support one choice over others and by repealing laws that restrict people from providing energy alternatives.
Renee Price, Democrat, District 50:
I would like to see more solar and wind energy.