THE SECOND CONGRESSIONAL
DISTRICT RACE BETWEEN GEORGE
HOLDING AND LINDA COLEMAN IS
ONE OF THE HOTTEST CONTESTED
RACES.
THE DISTRICT CONSISTS MOSTLY OF
WAKE COUNTY AND WILSON,
JOHNSTON, NASH, AND HARNETT
COUNTY.
WE INVITED EACH CANDIDATE TO
JOIN US AT CBS17 NEWS. NOW WE
ARE JOINED BY LINDA COLEMAN.
THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE TODAY.
IT'S MY PLEASURE.
LET'S DIVE INTO THIS.
LET'S TALK THOSE ATTACK ADS.
LET'S FOCUS ON THE ONE THAT
SAYS YOU ARE FOR HIGH PROPERTY
TAXES AND SALES TAXES.
I CAN TELL YOU THAT THAT WAS
20 YEARS AGO WHEN I WAS A
COUNTY COMMISSIONER.
THE BIGGEST ROLE THAT COUNTY
COMMISSIONERS HAVE IS TO BUILD
SCHOOLS.
SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION.
YOU DO THAT THROUGH PROPERTY
TAXES.
AND SO THE ADS ARE DISTORTING
BECAUSE THEY DISTORT THE ENTIRE
PICTURE OF WHY HE RAISE THE
TAXES.
THESE ARE THE TAXES THAT PAY
FOR SCHOOLS, THEY PAY FOR PARKS
, LIBRARIES, OPEN SPACE.
ALL OF THE THINGS THAT REALLY
MAKE WAKE COUNTY THE KIND OF
PLACE THAT PEOPLE ENJOY COMING
TO. THE OTHER PIECE OF THAT IS
DURING THE TIME I WAS A COUNTY
COMMISSIONER, THE COMMISSIONERS
BEFORE ME WHO WERE REPUBLICANS
ON THE BOARD HAD CUT TAXES SO
DEEPLY THE SCHOOLS WERE IN
DISREPAIR.
WE WERE HAVING 100 PEOPLE A DAY
MOVING INTO THE COUNTY. THE
KIDS WERE GOING INTO LEARNING
ENVIRONMENTS THAT WERE REALLY
NOT CONDUCIVE.
THEY WERE GOING TO SCHOOL IN
TRAILERS.
WE HAD TO BUILD SCHOOLS SO THAT
KIDS COULD HAVE THE PROPER
LEARNING ENVIRONMENT AND THIS
IS WHAT PROPERTY TAXES DUE.
THEY HELP TO MAKE THE COUNTY
THE KIND OF PLACE THE PEOPLE
WANT TO COME TO.
LET'S STICK WITH EDUCATION.
I KNOW THAT IS ONE OF YOUR TOP
THREE THAT YOU WANT TO FOCUS
ON.
WHAT CAN YOU DO?
YOU HAVE SEEN THE TEACHER
RALLIES ASKING DUCHESS FOR MORE
PAY BUT MORE MONEY FOR
CLASSROOMS.
-- NOT JUST FOR MORE PAY BUT
MONEY FOR THEIR CLASSROOMS.
ABSOLUTELY.
WE HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY TO
TRAIN YOUNG PEOPLE FOR THE 21st
CENTURY.
THEY HAVE TO HAVE THE
TECHNOLOGY.
THEY HAVE TO DO THIS TO HAVE
ALL OF THE KINDS OF THINGS THAT
REALLY MAKE LEARNING
ENVIRONMENT THE BEST IT CAN BE.
TEACHERS ALREADY KNOW THEY DON'T
MAKE THE BIGGEST SALARIES. BUT
WHEN THEY HAVE TO COME OUT OF
THEIR OWN POCKETS TO PAY FOR
THIS, THIS IS UNFAIR.
WE WANT TEACHERS TO HAVE THE
RESOURCES.
WE WANT THE STATE TO PAY ITS
SHARE.
IF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT NEEDS
TO PITCH IN, WE MADE -- NEED TO
MAKE IT A PRIORITY.
HEALTHCARE IS ALSO IMPORTANT
TO YOU.
GEORGE HOLDING SAYING THAT --
WELL, YOU TALKING ABOUT HOW THE
AMERICAN HEALTHCARE ACT WOULD
NOT WORK.
TELL US -- EXPLAIN WHY YOU ARE
AGAINST THAT.
BECAUSE THE HEALTHCARE ACT
THAT WAS RECENTLY PASSED BY
THIS ADMINISTRATION REALLY DOES
NOT PROVIDE THE KIND OF
PROTECTION THAT THE PEOPLE NEED
. HEALTHCARE SHOULD BE A RIGHT
OF ALL PEOPLE.
WHAT I WANT TO DO IS TO MAKE
SURE THAT WE LOWER PRESCRIPTION
DRUG COSTS AND THAT WE ALSO
MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE
PROTECTING PEOPLE WHO HAVE PRE-
EXISTING CONDITIONS. AND WHEN
WE TALKED ABOUT THAT, WE MEAN
DIABETES, PREGNANCY, ARTHRITIS,
HIGH CHOLESTEROL, CANCER.
THERE ARE A NUMBER OF ISSUES
THAT ARE PRE-EXISTING.
WE WANT THESE PEOPLE TO BE
COVERED.
NOT ONLY THAT BUT SENIORS CAN
BE CHARGED FIVE TIMES WHAT
OTHERS CAN BE CHARGED FOR
HEALTHCARE.
THAT IS UNFAIR.
THAT'S AN UNFAIR BURDEN TO
PLACE ON SENIORS.
AND GEORGE HOLDING SAID
WITH THE HEALTHCARE ACT THAT
PRE-EXISTING CONDITIONS WOULD
BE COVERED.
SOME OF THEM.
THEY HAVE GUTTED THAT. I WILL
TELL YOU THAT THERE IS A BILL
OF RIGHT NOW -- THERE IS A
LAWSUIT RIGHT NOW THAT IS GOING
TO MAKE ALL OF THEM DISAPPEAR.
SO THAT IF THERE IS A
REPUBLICAN CONGRESS IN 2019,
ALL OF THE COVERAGE FOR PRE-
EXISTING CONDITIONS WILL
DISAPPEAR.
CLICK QUICKLY TALK ON JOBS.
I KNOW THAT IS IMPORTANT TO YOU
AS WELL.
JOBS ARE ABSOLUTELY
IMPORTANT.
THEY ARE IMPORTANT BECAUSE THIS
IS HOW WORKING FAMILIES TAKE
CARE OF THEIR FAMILIES.
THIS IS HOW THEY MOVE FORWARD
AND HOW THEY ACHIEVE THE
AMERICAN DREAM.
WE ARE TRYING SO HARD TO CONNECT
PEOPLE WITH SKILLS TRAINING TO
ENHANCE THOSE SKILLS, TO GET A
NEW SKILL.
THIS IS THE WAY THEY ARE GOING
TO INCREASE THEIR WAGES.
THIS IS THE WAY WE ARE GOING TO
EQUIP THE WORKPLACE WITH 21st
CENTURY WORKERS.
SO THERE IS ABSOLUTELY WORST
FORCE TRAINING, JOB STILL --
SKILLS TRAINING.
I'M ALL IN FOR HOW WE ARE GOING
TO ACHIEVE THAT AND MAKING SURE
THAT EVERYONE HAS A SHOT AT THE
AMERICAN DREAM.
I WANT TO ASK YOU ONE MORE
THING.
WHAT IS THE ONE ATTACK AD THAT
IS NOT TRUE ABOUT YOU?
THE ONE ABOUT THE TAXES
WHERE HE SAYS I RAISED TAXES ON
EVERYTHING.
EVEN HE DISAVOWS THAT ADD AND
SAYS THAT IT IS NOT TRUE.
I DID NOT PAY MY TAXES BECAUSE
IF IT WERE TRUE, HE WOULD BE IN
THE SAME BOAT.
HE DIDN'T PAY HIS FOR 30
SOMETIMES.
BUT HE DID NOT ASK THEM TO TAKE
THAT AD DOWN.