Name as it appears on the ballot: Terry Van Duyn

Age: 68

Party affiliation: Democrat

Campaign website: VoteVanDuyn.com

Occupation & employer: State Senator/ State of North Carolina

Years lived in North Carolina: 30

1) If elected, what will be your top three priorities for the next four years?

My top three priorities when elected will be to make public education our top priority, improve access to quality, affordable healthcare through the expansion of Medicaid and grow more good-paying jobs in North Carolina.

2) Do you believe North Carolina should expand Medicaid? What do you believe the advantages would be? Are you concerned that costs would be greater than expected, as New York has experienced recently?

As a former ACA Navigator during the initial rollout of Obamacare, I saw firsthand what it means for people to be able to afford their medication and a visit to the doctor.

In North Carolina, over 500,000 of our brothers, sisters, and neighbors would be able to visit the doctor and pay for their medication, today, if we would only expand Medicaid. States that have expanded Medicaid have seen opioid deaths level off, infant mortality rates improve and the racial gap in access to cancer treatment close.

As for the cost, 90% would be paid by the Federal Government while Governor Cooper has done an excellent job negotiating the final 10% to be paid for by hospitals and insurance companies in North Carolina.

Medicaid expansion is a win for everyone and just makes sense.

3) Citing a growing economy and budget surpluses, Republicans have called for additional tax cuts. Democrats, including Governor Cooper, have argued that the state has other needs, particularly education. Do you believe the tax cuts over the last decade have been effective in stimulating the economy? If given the choice, are there any tax cuts you would rescind or any new taxes you would enact? If so, toward what would you put the additional revenue?

I have served in the State Senate since 2014. In every term I have been elected, Republicans in the General Assembly have cut taxes for the super-rich and billion dollar businesses.  They have done so at the expense of our public schools and our working families. To pay for these tax cuts, Republicans have decided to underfund our public schools and increase taxes on everything from car repairs to funerals. That’s wrong.

There are, however, a few tax cuts that would put more money back into the pocket of working families. As Lieutenant Governor, I will push the Legislature to reinstate the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), the Child Care Tax Credit and the Back to School Sales Tax Holiday.

North Carolinans deserve an economy that works for everyone, not just those at the top. 

4) In January, a superior court judge ruled that the state was not living up to its constitutional obligation to give students a “sound, basic education.” The judge relied on a consultant’s report, which some Republicans have criticized, that called for additional per-pupil spending. Do you believe the state needs to spend more on K–12 education? Broadly speaking, how much more do you think the state should spend?

I absolutely believe that the state should increase our per-pupil expenditure. Public education should be our top priority. Our educators, as well as support staff, should be paid and treated as the professionals they are.

We must bring educator pay back up to the national average and increase per-pupil expenditure and text-book funding back up from pre-recession levels.

Furthermore, we must pass Governor Cooper’s proposed bond referendum to reinvest in our classroom infrastructure. Under this plan, North Carolina can leverage our AAA bond rating against historically low interest rates to invest $2 billion into our K-12 classrooms.

5) Do you believe that tax dollars should go to private schools? If so, under what circumstances? Do you support the expansion of charter schools? Why or why not?

I do not support vouchers.

When it comes to charter schools, I believe that North Carolina is heading down the wrong path. In North Carolina, we have yet to adequately fund our traditional public schools and it does not make sense for us to continue to increase the number of charters.

I believe that any school receiving public funds should be accountable and transparent. Currently, charter schools are exempt from many of the standards that apply to traditional public schools. They do not have to provide transportation, special needs programs or free and reduced lunch. They have no curriculum requirements, are not required to have 100% of their teachers licensed, and according to the Public School Forum, are exempt from public bidding laws which protect how tax dollars are spent. That is unacceptable to me.

As Lieutenant Governor, I will serve on the North Carolina State Board of Education where I will use my position to fight for our public schools and make education our top priority.

6) Gerrymandering has been the subject of debate and lawsuits in North Carolina for the last decade. Do you believe the state should establish an independent process for drawing legislative and congressional districts? If so, what would it look like?

I was a member of Common Cause long before I ever became an elected official, so I absolutely believe that North Carolina should move to a non-partisan redistricting commission.

As for what this process would look like, I introduced Senate Bill 673, N.C. Citizens Redistricting Commission. Under this legislation, we would take politicians, lobbyists and party activists out of the process of drawing legislative and congressional maps and empower a commission made up of citizens to draw maps that are representative of the people.

7) That National Popular Vote Interstate Compact has been approved by 16 jurisdictions controlling 196 electoral votes for president; it will become effective should states with 74 additional popular votes approve it. North Carolina has 15. Do you believe North Carolina should join this effort, or do you believe the current system should remain in place?

I believe we must change the current system. When one candidate earns over 3 million more votes than another and loses, the system no longer works.

8) Do you think that transgender individuals should have their treatments for gender dysphoria covered under the state’s health care plan?

I believe that transgender individuals should have their treatments for gender dysphoria covered under the state’s health plan. Our emphasis should be on quality care, not cruel, discriminatory policy. North Carolina should be a place where everyone is welcome and nobody gets left behind.

9) Given the conservative makeup of the U.S. Supreme Court, several states have recently pursued aggressive abortion restrictions, even laws that directly challenge Roe v. Wade and Casey v. Planned Parenthood. If elected, would you support efforts to restrict access to abortion in North Carolina? For that matter, would you support efforts to expand access to abortion?

I believe that women should make medical decisions with information that is based on science, in consultation with their physician and without interference from politicians.

Reproductive rights are under attack in North Carolina and they are certainly on the ballot in this year’s election. As a Lillian’s List endorsed candidate, I am proud to state that abortion is healthcare and that as Lieutenant Governor, I will do everything within my power to ensure women across North Carolina have the right to make this deeply peronaly decision.

10) Later this year, provisions of HB 142, the replacement for HB 2, will expire, including sections that prohibit local governments from passing higher minimum wages and passing antidiscrimination ordinances. Do you think municipalities such as Charlotte and Raleigh should be permitted to raise the minimum wage or pass an antidiscrimination ordinance that includes protections for transgender people in public accommodations?

HB2 was legislation passed to divide our state and to further stigmatize transgeder individuals. I voted against it and sponsored five bills to repeal the law. I believe North Carolina deserves a truly comprehensive non-discrimination statute and that we need to move towards a $15 minimum wage. That is why I sponsored both Senate Bill 137, the Economic Security Act which increased the minimum wage, and Senate Bill 209 the Hate Crimes Prevention Act, which would classify an assault on someone because of their gender identity as a hate crime felony. 

Until we pass these protections, local municipalities absolutely deserve the right to raise the minium wage and pass antidiscrimination ordiances to protect transgender individuals.

11) In 2018, voters passed a constitutional amendment requiring voter identification, and the General Assembly soon passed a law putting it into effect. That law has since been put on hold, at least for the primary, pending a lawsuit. Do you believe in-person voter fraud is a serious threat, and the law is a reasonable way to address it? Do you believe the voter ID law should be repealed? Why or why not?

In North Carolina, there is little evidence that supports the occurrence of in-person voter fraud. I believe that the Voter ID amendment was placed on the ballot in an attempt to further disenfranchise women, young people, and people of color from voting.

Requiring an ID to vote places a burden on poor people, the elderly, women, and people of color. I believe it should be repealed and as Lieutenant Governor, I will do everything within my power to ensure that any person who is legally able to cast a ballot can do so.

12) North Carolina’s coast has seen several major storms in recent years, and scientists say this trend is likely to continue as the effects of the climate crisis become more pronounced. What steps do you believe North Carolina should take to mitigate the damage these storms can cause?

I believe in climate change and view it as a crisis that must be addressed head-on.

The Sierra Club has endorsed my candidacy for Lieutenant Governor because they know that I am not afraid to stand up to Republican attacks on our environment.

I believe that North Carolina can take a big step in combating the climate crisis by moving to an energy grid that is 100% clean. We can get there and that is why I introduced Senate Bill 513, State Clean Energy Goal for 2050, which would require all retail sales of power to come from truly clean energy sources like wind and solar.

13) Do you believe that elected North Carolina sheriffs should be required to cooperate with immigration authorities, even if they believe that doing so makes their communities less safe?

Sheriffs in North Carolina are elected by the people and empowered by our constitution to enforce the law.

However, what ICE is asking our sheriff’s to do is unconstitutional and makes our communities less safe. If people are afraid to report when they are victims of crime, criminals go unchecked. We should be embracing 21st century policing with a community focus.

I am proud to have the support of my Sheriff, Quentin Miller, and appreciate the work he has done on this issue along with the sheriff’s of Orange, Durham, Wake and Mecklenburg counties, among others.

14) What restrictions would you support, if any, on the rights of North Carolina residents to obtain and carry firearms? Do you believe that assault weapons should be banned? Do you believe that the state should pass “red-flag” laws?

I believe that we can respect the rights of gun owners in North Carolina while making our communities more safe.

Red-flag laws will help to prevent future mass-shootings and also reduce the number of suicides. Additionally, I believe we can enact more common-sense reforms like closing the gun-show loophole and enacting “no-fly, no-buy” policies.

15) North Carolina has not executed anyone since 2006, and challenges to the constitutionality of the state’s death penalty continue. Would you support the repeal of the death penalty in North Carolina? If not, do you believe the legislature should change the law to restart executions?

I do not support the death penalty and would support its repeal.

16) Regardless of what you think of his policies, do you believe that Donald Trump is a good role model and an honorable person?

No.

17) Are there any issues this questionnaire has not addressed that you would like to address?

I’m asking for your endorsement because I’m the most qualified person running for the office of Lieutenant Governor.  I’m the only person in this race who serves in the Senate.  I’m the only person in this race who has served in leadership in the Senate, as the unanimously elected Democratic Whip for two cycles.  I’m the only one in this race who already has a working relationship with Governor Cooper and his team as evidenced by my work to both hold my caucus together for tough votes and as the lead fundraiser to the Senate Caucus when we flipped those six seats and gave Governor Cooper the power of his veto.

Women are always told to sit down and play nice. I’ve been standing up and fighting back my entire life. I was the oldest of eight kids raised in a three bedroom, one bath apartment.  I blazed a trail as a woman in the tech industry in the 1970’s, and was a nonprofit leader in my community for twenty years.

Whether it is Pat McCrory forcing women to hand over their ultrasounds, Justin Burr gerrymandering our courts, or Phil Berger turning off my microphone while I was running an amendment to expand Medicaid, I have never been afraid to stand up against Republican attacks on our democracy.