Several local and one federal candidate aired their views at the Mitchell County Chamber of Commerce Candidate Forum Thursday.
“Thank you for exercising your right to be a part of the electoral process,” Chamber Executive Director Bill Slagle said to the crowd.
As he has in the past, Bob Hensley served as moderator, with chamber staff members assisting by reading out questions that were submitted by the public in advance. The full audio of the event was played on local radio station WTOE Friday afternoon.
The event had good turnout from local and regional candidates, mostly Republicans, and one candidate for federal office — Michele Morrow, who is running for the U.S. Senate in the Republican primary.
Morrow told the audience that she enjoys opportunities to visit the western part of the state, which she called “God’s country.”
“I come to you from ‘woke’ county,” she quipped, “and it is always an absolute joy to come to the mountains where I believe that you guys absolutely embody the heart of what it means to be an American.”
U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), who took office in 2015, has announced that he will not run for re-election this year. With an open seat, several candidates are seeking the office. In the Republican primary, Morrow will compete with Don Brown, Richard Dansie, Thomas Johnson, Elizabeth Anne Temple and Michael Whatley.
Candidates seeking the Democratic nomination include Robert Colon, Roy Cooper, Justine Dues, Daryl Farrow, Orrick Quick and Marcus Williams.
Additionally, in the general election, Brian McGinnis will run as the Green Party candidate, Shannon Bray is running as a Libertarian, and Shaunesi Deberry is running as an independent candidate.
In 2024, Morrow ran for North Carolina Superintendent of Public Instruction. She defeated incumbent Catherine Truitt in the Republican primary but lost to Democratic nominee Mo Green in the general election.
“I’m running to be your next U.S. Senator because I believe that President (Donald) Trump needs someone who is a bold, outspoken, unapologetic Christian and conservative who has been fighting for you and with you to ensure that your children are protected, that the money that we are giving to the government ends up coming back to those of us that need it rather than going to people that are illegal aliens, or even countries that want to see the demise of the United States,” she said.
Morrow also spoke about her experiences as an activist, a nurse, and an educator. She mentioned that she has experience opposing the policies of former Gov. Roy Cooper, who is currently one of the candidates in the Democratic senate primary.
“When he (Cooper) came and said that you can’t keep your job as a nurse or a doctor or first responder or in the military if you don’t take an experimental vaccine, I pushed back against that,” she said. “I ran for superintendent of public instruction to get the pornography out of our schools and to stop indoctrinating our children against God, against this country, and against their very selves.”
Morrow said she is ready for the general election in November.
“It’s super important that we pick the candidate in the primary who is going to have the best chance at beating the Democrat in the general (election), and that is who I am,” she said.