5 vying to be Republican nominee in NC’s 10th Cong. District

The previous two congressmen from the district were Patrick McHenry and Cass Ballenger. Both served 20 years in the U.S. House of Representatives.

You Might Like

McHenry announced his retirement in December, leaving no incumbent in a district where the status quo has been the preference for 40 years.

Five Republican candidates are battling it out in the primary to face Democrat Ralph Scott Jr. in the general election.

The five Republicans are Charles Eller, Pat Harrigan, Diana Jimison, Brooke McGowan and Grey Mills. We asked each candidate for some biographical information, as well as answers to four questions. Here are the responses. Some have been edited for length and clarity.

CHARLES ELLER

What makes you the best person in the race to represent the 10th District in Congress?

I have never held political office, I’m not beholden to the establishment, lobbyists, or any special interest group. I am also a leader and not a follower, and my voting record will be consistent with my campaign rhetoric. My reasons and motives for running are rooted in something virtuous and pure. It’s to follow the Constitution, look out for the interest of the people of the 10th district, as well as America, and it’s a recognition that our country is off track, and we need to make hard decisions to get it back on track economically, culturally, and at the southern border.

What are your top priorities if elected?

Secure the southern border to stop the invasion and occupation by millions of illegal aliens from over 120 countries.

Commit to massive cuts in federal spending and unleashing America’s energy sources, such as gas, oil, coal, and solar to make us energy independent and dominant like we were under Donald Trump.

Defund, dismantle, and deconstruct the administrative state that has been weaponized against the American people to deprive them of their liberty, prosperity, and security.

Republicans have often been critical of President Biden’s handling of immigration and border security. What specifically do you believe needs to be done differently?

My 11-point plan to secure the border and stop the invasion and occupation of our country by illegals from over 120 countries:

Assist Texas by sending National Guard troops and deputizing 500,000 volunteers.

No continuing resolution in March. Shut down the border or shut down the government.

Cut off all federal aid to illegals coming across the border and illegals that are already here. No free housing, free healthcare, free education, or food stamps.

Cut off all aid to entities like the UN that are funding NGOs that help illegals come into the country.

End birthright citizenship.

Pass legislation that says illegals are not to be counted in the census in determining congressional apportionment.

Complete the border wall and fund border patrol.

Formulate a plan that’s peaceful if possible, but forcible if necessary, for the mass deportation of the 10 to 12,000,000 illegals that are already here.

Fine US employers $25,000 per month for each illegal they hire.

Pass legislation that formally declares war on the drug cartels and authorizes, domestic law-enforcement, and the U.S. military, to annihilate the drug cartels, including their infrastructure, whether is within or outside the United States.

Re-implement Donald Trump’s policy of remain in Mexico.

This Congress has often been noted for its chaos. It took 15 votes to elect a House speaker, a speaker who was ousted from the position just nine months in. It then took nearly a month to elect a new speaker, forcing current District 10 Rep. Patrick McHenry to serve as a placeholder. What do you see as the root of this dysfunction and what do you think needs to be done to improve the situation?

What needs to be done differently is Republicans need to be loyal to their voters and stop talking and campaigning one way and then going to Washington D.C. and voting the opposite. The people are tired of being lied to and let down by RINOs who pretend to be America First, but in reality are establishment types that are working against the interest of the American people because their allegiance is to their donors and lobbyists.

PAT HARRIGAN

What makes you the best person in the race to represent the 10th District in Congress?

Every single one of us is yearning for a stronger America — one that we can all look across and say, “America is indeed, by every objective measure, great again.” That will only come when we have strong leaders of character who fight for American interests first and foremost, stand up to our adversaries, and regain the trust of the American people that our current crop of leadership has lost. For generations, we have sent attorneys turned career politicians to Washington. They are not solving our problems. They are the problem.

I am not a career politician. I am an outsider. I am a business owner who has grown our firearms manufacturing company from a double-wide trailer to a 120,000-square-foot facility full of American manufacturing, and as a combat veteran, I am a proven fighter who knows how and when to fight. With a historical average of 50-70% veterans in Congress and less than 20% today, we need the combination of veteran-entrepreneur now more than ever. That is exactly what I am, and because of my experience and proven track record of success, I believe that I am the most qualified candidate to represent the 10th District in Washington DC.

What are your top priorities if elected?

My biggest priority is placing American interests and the needs of American citizens above all other competing interests. This manifests itself in several ways. First, there is no question that the national security crisis at our southern border is a top issue. As I have said throughout this campaign, if we do not have a border, we do not have a country. We must close our southern border, finish President Trump’s wall and reinstate his ‘Remain in Mexico’ policy, end sanctuary cities, end the policy of economic asylum, and deport illegals who are here illegally.

Second, our priority must be America’s future, not foreign aid to other countries. Voters want to see an aggressive willingness to solve America’s problems first before carelessly inflating our national debt to solve Ukraine’s problems, while leaving our own border crisis unresolved.

Third, we must prioritize the American economy, reinvigorate American manufacturing, and preserve and defend our middle class which is taking a serious beating right now. It feels as though our representatives in Washington refuse to put America first, which signals an unwillingness to prioritize American interests and the well-being of American citizens. The establishment fails to grasp this understanding; I grasp it.

Republicans have often been critical of President Biden’s handling of immigration and border security. What specifically do you believe needs to be done differently?

The world is burning around us today because of weak leadership from the current administration. I fully support President Trump’s ‘America First’ policies because they prioritize the interests and well-being of the United States above all else, emphasizing a commitment to national sovereignty, economic prosperity, and the security of American citizens. We must prioritize American sovereignty above all else. Not a single dollar should be spent on Ukraine until our own country’s physical security is provided for at our southern border. We must close the southern border immediately, finish President Trump’s wall and reinstate his ‘Remain in Mexico’ policy, end sanctuary cities, stop providing economic asylum, and deport illegals who have broken our laws. The invasion at our southern border must stop because it is an existential national security threat to our country.

This Congress has often been noted for its chaos. It took 15 votes to elect a House speaker, a speaker who was ousted from the position just nine months in. It then took nearly a month to elect a new speaker, forcing current District 10 Rep. Patrick McHenry to serve as a placeholder. What do you see as the root of this dysfunction and what do you think needs to be done to improve the situation?

During my time at West Point, I learned that the most important words ever written in American history are, “We The People.” Today, less than 20% of the representatives in Congress have served in the military, and this is a direct reflection of the erosion of traditional values and the rise of secular influences handicapping our country today. To overcome our internal dysfunctions, we must look to reclaim a Christian constitutional conservative approach, and actively embrace and promote the timeless principles embedded in both Christianity and the Constitution. This entails fostering a cultural resurgence that values moral integrity, absolute truth, and a deep commitment to the original intent of our constitutional framework. We must stop sending the same cut of politicians to D.C. expecting different outcomes. As our nation faces existential crises, more veteran leadership is needed that takes a pragmatic approach to problem-solving, unencumbered by political bureaucracy. Over the next two years, we have the chance to make incremental changes that will shape the destiny of the next generation. My journey from the battlefields of Afghanistan to starting my own firearms manufacturing business has reinforced my oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States.

DIANA JIMISON

What makes you the best person in the race to represent the 10th District in Congress?

First, I’d like to direct you to Amos 5:10-15 found in the Holy Word of God. This was in my devotions the day after I filed, and it gave me chills. There will be those who do not like me because I speak the truth. I have been advocating for people for many years, trying to find resources to assist them during some of the most difficult days they face and that’s during sickness. As a result of the hardships, I have witnessed due to big pharma, insurance, unethical taxation, misinformation that has stolen many lives, I felt called to fight on a different level in 2021. I love people and they need someone in their corner fighting for them and their needs. I fight for those who may not even like me because it’s the right thing to do.

Feel free to check out the questions I asked Congressman McHenry on my page where he lied about voting for big government to track us with vaccination status. I have done my due diligence in researching him out. I love Donald Trump, but he could seriously use me to help him research these people and the way they vote before he endorses them. However, I know no one is perfect. His endorsements, however, create a ton of confusion when actions do not line up with what they say. I personally believe 2024 is our last chance to get it right.

What are your top priorities if elected?

Fight taxation.

Fight Big pharma.

Fight insurance.

Work to give autonomy back to the physician.

Fight the border crisis.

Fight for life.

Fight for those who have diseases that have been dismissed. Lipedema is a debilitating connective tissue disease that affects 17 million women. That is 1 out of 9 women affected, meaning you very well have a mother, daughter, wife, sister walking around who suffer in pain but have been misdiagnosed. I am not OK with that.

Republicans have often been critical of President Biden’s handling of immigration and border security. What specifically do you believe needs to be done differently?

Build the wall and allow immigrants to come through the door appropriately. We cannot sustain as a nation allowing millions to come in the way the Biden Administration is doing this. Drugs are rampant, child sex trafficking is on a rampage and it has been proven.

This Congress has often been noted for its chaos. It took 15 votes to elect a House speaker, a speaker who was ousted from the position just nine months in. It then took nearly a month to elect a new speaker, forcing current District 10 Rep. Patrick McHenry to serve as a placeholder. What do you see as the root of this dysfunction and what do you think needs to be done to improve the situation?

I personally believe both parties are working to destroy our nation. Many politicians have been bought out. We have to stop sending rich men and politicians to Washington.

Do your research. Look at voter registration dates, previous voting history and ask questions. If a candidate hires a sitting representative’s campaign manager, takes money from that representative, sends weapons to the Ukraine or takes COVID monies, we need to ask questions. This is public knowledge. We cannot create change by doing the same things. If a candidate has received majority of endorsements from mostly other politicians, again we need to ask questions.

BROOKE MCGOWAN

What makes you the best person in the race to represent the 10th District in Congress?

I have stood and fought for North Carolinians at the state and federal level. I am a lifelong activist who lobbied for Voter ID, the Marriage Amendment, fought against Obamacare, Common Core and Amnesty, and fought for life from conception to natural death. I don’t bore the voters with useless political platitudes. I am the real deal.

What are your top priorities if elected?

Secure the border;

Investigate COVID protocols; and

Hold bad actors in government accountable.

Republicans have often been critical of President Biden’s handling of immigration and border security. What specifically do you believe needs to be done differently?

Close the border.

Moratorium on all entry.

Deport past lawbreakers.

Cut off the NGOs and the cartels, including the Biden administration.

Shut off the spigot to stop funding our own demise.

This Congress has often been noted for its chaos. It took 15 votes to elect a House speaker, a speaker who was ousted from the position just nine months in. It then took nearly a month to elect a new speaker, forcing current District 10 Rep. Patrick McHenry to serve as a placeholder. What do you see as the root of this dysfunction and what do you think needs to be done to improve the situation?

Congressmen not keeping their promises and not gaining the trust of fellow members. The nuclear option was installed as a safety measure in case (former House Speaker Kevin) McCarthy failed to keep his word — which he failed to do. Until Congressmen stand by their word, they should also be appropriately removed from leadership.

GREY MILLS

What makes you the best person in the race to represent the 10th District in Congress?

I am the only candidate in this race with a proven conservative record. In the General Assembly, I fought and won on issues like immigration, where we passed legislation to require sheriffs to cooperate with ICE.

I also led on election integrity by ending the counting of ballots after Election Day, and on wokeism by banning Critical Race Theory and protecting girls’ sports. I have always voted to protect the taxpayer and promote freedom. It is easy to talk about doing things, but I am the only one who has actually done it.

Washington is broken, and I get disgusted when I turn on the TV at night and see the failed leadership and missed opportunities that come from our nation’s Capitol. In Raleigh, we know how to get things done, and we need to take those same North Carolina values to Washington.

What are your top priorities if elected?

My number one priority is securing the southern border. Every day illegal immigrants, some who are on the terror watch list, and drugs pour into our country. First and foremost, we need to shut down the border, build the wall, fully fund ICE and the Border Patrol, and reinstate President Trump’s Remain in Mexico Policy. I oppose any pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants. After that, we need to get the federal spending under control.

In Raleigh, we balance the state budget every two years, and have money left over to put in the rainy day fund. We expect American families and businesses to do the same. There is no reason the federal government should not. I will work to pass a balanced budget amendment in Washington.

Republicans have often been critical of President Biden’s handling of immigration and border security. What specifically do you believe needs to be done differently?

No amnesty and build the wall. We need to shut down the southern border, reinstate Remain in Mexico, fully fund the Border Patrol and ICE and stand firmly opposed to a pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants. We have done what we can at the state level, but more needs to be done at the federal level.

This Congress has often been noted for its chaos. It took 15 votes to elect a House speaker, a speaker who was ousted from the position just nine months in. It then took nearly a month to elect a new speaker, forcing current District 10 Rep. Patrick McHenry to serve as a placeholder. What do you see as the root of this dysfunction and what do you think needs to be done to improve the situation?

The root of the dysfunction in Washington stems from a lack of good conservative values. The N.C. General Assembly is an example of how government should work. We balance our budget, we protect the taxpayer, we pass legislation to make our communities safer. Washington has lost its way, and it needs to be reoriented. Until we see a better representation of our values in Washington, we are going to be stuck in this cycle of dysfunction.