Tariffs take center stage at 1st District GOP primary debate
At a First Congressional District GOP primary debate on Feb. 19, held by WNCT, the discussion of tariffs, now made more relevant by the US Supreme Court’s Feb. 20 decision to strike down President Donald Trump’s emergency authority to implement them, took center stage. Of the five candidates vying to challenge Democratic incumbent US Rep. Don Davis in the general election, four of them — Laurie Buckhout, a former Army colonel; Asa Buck, the Carteret County sheriff; Eric Rouse, a Lenoir County commissioner; and state Sen. Bobby Hanig of Currituck County — participated in the debate.
Attorney Ashley-Nicole Russell is also in the race but did not participate.
The debate began with a question on how candidates would respond to farmers who say tariffs are hurting their businesses.
Laurie Buckhout, who won the Republican primary for the same district in 2024, kicked off the discussion.
“I think that tariffs are a temporary measure to address a trade imbalance that previous Democratic presidents have been putting into practice that have put us in a really terrible position in terms of tariffing our goods at ridiculous rates while allowing other nations to pour their cheap and un-tariffed products into America,” said Buckhout. “It’s time that we level the playing field, and I know that President Trump is doing that. And it takes some time to level the playing field; we have been playing at a disadvantage for so long.”
Buckhout praised Trump’s success with European countries and Canada, calling him a “master negotiator.” She emphasized her belief in staying the course, stating that “we are going to come out on top,” but it takes some time to get there.
“It’s not what I say to farmers, it’s what I hear farmers say to me,” said Buck. “The farmers that I talk to they tell me that they understand what the president is doing. It is about leveling the playing field, and the folks that I talk to understand that sometimes there has to be some short-term pinch in order to affect a long-term gain and level the playing field so that we can have equality across our markets with regard to our crops and commodities that are being sold.”
Eric Rouse, a Lenoir County commissioner, weighed in as well.
“Well, it’s absolutely hurting their livelihood, that goes without saying,” said Rouse. “But Trump is a master negotiator; he knows what he is doing. China right now imports to us, about 63% of their GDP comes to us. So we have the advantage.”
Rouse said that it will play out in our favor.
“China loves our eastern North Carolina flu-cured tobacco, and I think it’s just a matter of time before it hits and we are all in good shape again,” said Rouse.
“Meeting with these farmers, they understand we have a short-term pain, for long-term gain,” said Hanig. “We are presenting them with the bridge loans — $12 million. There’s another one in the pipe right now that will get them through to where they need to go. We need to stay the course. They understand we need to stay the course.”
Hanig argued that in the interim, the solution is to reduce input costs, which are where farmers are being hurt the most by the prices of chemicals, pesticides, and seeds.
“So, getting those costs down in the interim to get them across to where they need to go, we are going to be on the right track; and they understand that,” said Hanig.
After discussing tariffs, the debate moved on to FEMA response to disasters in the state, health care costs, overall cost of living, whether the district is attracting businesses, the federal government shutdown, immigration crackdowns, whether farmers should be subsidized (another tariff-related topic), when to send troops into combat, and if Israel is a valuable ally.
The moderator then moved on to simple yes or no questions.Those interested can watch the debate in full below:
“Tariffs take center stage at 1st District GOP primary debate” was originally published on www.carolinajournal.com.
