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More Candidate Filings Announced: Jordan, Ross, Meadows, Foxx, Sherwood & More

Compiled by Jesse Wood

Candidate filing for the 2016 elections began yesterday, and High Country Press was on hand for the initial filings at the Watauga County Board of Elections office.

Check out other filing announcements that High Country Press received via email below.

Deborah Ross Files for 2016 U.S. Senate Race

Ross
Ross files for election Tuesday.

On the first day of the 2016 Primary and General Election filing period, Deborah Ross, Democratic Candidate for U.S. Senate, officially filed her candidacy with the North Carolina Board of Elections.

“I’m running because North Carolina deserves a leader in the Senate who will roll up her sleeves and get to work on behalf of the hardworking people of our state,” said Deborah. “As the daughter of a doctor who served in the Air Force during the Vietnam War and a pre-kindergarten teacher, I grew up understanding the value of service to our community and I’m bringing those values with me to the U.S. Senate.”

Since announcing her candidacy on October 14th, Richard Burr has been placed on the Top Ten Most Vulnerable Senators List by Roll Call and Public Policy Polling has shown Ross within 4 points of Burr.

“Since launching this campaign less than two months ago, I’ve been honored to have the support of North Carolinians from Murphy to Manteo. In the coming months I will be out all across our state talking to voters and listening to the needs of our families, workers, students and seniors. I look forward to bringing their North Carolina voices and values to the U.S. Senate.”

Deborah Ross represented Wake County in the North Carolina House of Representatives from 2003-2013, and for more than two decades has been a practicing attorney in North Carolina.

Mark Meadows Files For Re-Election 

Meadows
Meadows

On Tuesday, Congressman Mark Meadows (R-NC) filed to run for re-election to the U.S. House of Representatives, representing North Carolina’s 11th District. Meadows released the following statement:

“I am honored to have had the privilege to serve the people of Western North Carolina and hope to have earned your continued support. Since being elected to Congress in 2012, my focus has been making my constituents’ voices heard in Washington. At the end of the day, my voting card may have my picture on it, but it belongs to the people of North Carolina.

Our nation is truly at a crossroads. We face imminent threats from terrorists abroad and crippling debt back home. Yet I am optimistic. I believe that our country’s best days are ahead. In my time in Washington, I’ve worked to cut job-killing regulation, promote pro-growth policies, stand up for individual rights, and fight for a strong national defense. While change takes time, I believe we are on the path toward a better future.

I’m humbled to have been entrusted to represent North Carolina’s 11th District thus far, and look forward to continuing to do so in the 115th Congress.”

Congressman Mark Meadows was first elected to the House in November 2012. He is currently in his 2nd term in Congress, where he serves on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, chairing the Subcommittee on Government Operations, the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.

Jordan Reapplies for NC House District 93 – Ashe/Watauga Counties
A Record of Service to the High Country

On Tuesday, December 1, Republican Jonathan C. Jordan filed his application for a fourth term as the NC House Representative for District 93, which includes all of Ashe and Watauga Counties.

Jonathan Jordan
Jonathan Jordan

A local attorney, Jordan has been a strong advocate for the citizens of the district during his time in Raleigh. During this past session he served as Chair of House Judiciary II Committee and the House Committee on Children, Youth, and Families. He was recently named by the Speaker of the House to Chair the Joint Legislative Administrative Procedure Oversight Committee, which reviews state regulatory rulemaking.

“I am again reapplying for the job of State Representative for the High Country based on my record, and I am pleased to compare my record to any challenger,” Jordan stated. “For example, I am proud that the House stood firm this budget session to protect Teaching Assistants and their valuable service to our children in our classrooms.”

“Don’t believe the negatives thrown at our legislative record regarding education funding: North Carolina ranks 7th in the nation for state support for education.” Rep. Jordan stated. “Our state funding stands at 57% of total education funding, with the national average being only 46%. Over the past four years, our Republican legislature has restored $1.2 billion to education to replace $1 billion cut in the two years before we even gained our majority.”

House Speaker Tim Moore strongly supports Rep. Jordan’s re-election bid. “Jonathan has been an integral part of our team in the North Carolina House, and is a tireless advocate for Western North Carolina,” Speaker Moore stated. “I look forward to his re-election and continuing to work with him to keep our State on the path to prosperity for all.”

During the past Long Session, five bills on which Rep. Jordan was lead sponsor passed into law. These included the following:

  • H875 to require cities and towns in Ashe and Watauga to get approval by their own respective county commissioners when attempting to condemn property outside their city borders, but within their respective county; thus giving the property owner’s elected representatives a say in the condemnation on behalf of their constituents;
  • H879 to make improvements to the NC Juvenile Code, the law that governs children in the criminal custody of the state; and
  • H878 to appoint the student body president as a non-voting member of the Board of Trustees for the NC School of Science and Math, the state’s public boarding school.

“I have tried to focus on issues that were important to our local area as well as to the state as a whole, and to champion many whose voices arenʼt often heard,” said Rep. Jordan.

Rep. Jordan was recognized as a “2015 Legislative Champion” by the anti-drunk driving group Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), one of only 70 lawmakers nationwide.

“While we cannot prevent every death and injury on our roads and highways, those caused by driving while impaired can be prevented. Our citizens can be safer. Requiring interlocks for all offenders will do something that our current efforts cannot – keep impaired drivers from operating vehicles,” said Rep. Jordan. He was also recognized as a “2013 Legislative Champion” by MADD.

Rep. Jordan was also recognized, for the fourth year in a row, as a member of the highest level of conservative excellence by the American Conservative Union (ACU) for his support of the ideals articulated in the US Constitution: limited and transparent government, individual rights, personal responsibility, and a healthy culture. Rep. Jordan has maintained this conservative standing since the ACU first began rating state legislators in 2011.

Overall, 10 bills on which Rep. Jordan was a primary sponsor passed both chambers of the legislature and were signed into law by the Governor. There were many more he successfully supported as a co-sponsor. During the upcoming Short Session in Raleigh, there are several bills Rep. Jordan championed as a primary sponsor that are eligible to be considered and could be passed into law.

Jordan practices law in the High Country with a primary focus on real estate, wills and trusts, traffic issues, and business law. He has also served as a Guardian ad Litem Attorney Advocate, representing abused and neglected children in Department of Social Services cases. Jordan previously served on the board of the Ashe County Home Builders Association, the Ashe County Free Medical Clinic, the Ashe County Chamber of Commerce, and the Ashe County Pregnancy Care Center. His office is in Jefferson and both his young son and daughter attend the Ashe County Public Schools.

Foxx Files for Re-election

 

Congresswoman Virginia Foxx filed for election today with the North Carolina Board of Elections.  Foxx is running for re-election in North Carolina’s Fifth Congressional District, which covers much of northwest North Carolina.

U.S. Rep. Virginia Foxx
U.S. Rep. Virginia Foxx

“North Carolina families want someone with a strong track-record of championing conservative solutions to the problems facing our nation,” Foxx said. “The folks I speak with across the Fifth Congressional District are constantly telling me that they like someone who has the backbone to stand up to big-government liberals in Washington—and I’m confident that my strong record of doing just that will speak for itself.

“That’s why I am excited to be running for re-election, because I know that conservative ideas work and I’m not afraid to make that case to the voters,” Foxx said.  “It’s time for the Obama administration’s era of incompetence and big-government boondoggles to come to an end.  The people of North Carolina are ready to put President Obama’s failed liberal ideology out to pasture and put time-tested conservative solutions to work.”

Foxx is widely recognized for her successes reining in wasteful government spending, enacting common-sense solutions that curtail the growth of government and for standing up for the unborn and for North Carolina families. As a former small business owner, Foxx also knows the struggles that job creators face and is dedicated to eliminating outdated and burdensome government regulations.

“It’s time for conservative solutions that will create a better America for everyone—not just for government bureaucrats and Washington liberals.  I promise that I will continue to fight tirelessly to put conservative ideas to work if given the honor of representing the Fifth District in Congress.”

Foxx is considered one of North Carolina’s most conservative members of Congress.  Both the National Journal magazine and the American Conservative Union have ranked Foxx as one of the most conservative members of Congress for her strong track record of supporting common-sense solutions to America’s problems.

North Carolina’s Fifth Congressional District includes all of Alexander, Ashe, Alleghany, Davie, Watauga, Wilkes and Yadkin counties as well as parts of Catawba, Davidson, Forsyth, Iredell and Rowan counties.

Art Sherwood: Candidate for NC Senate District 45

SherwoodSaying he is “disturbed by the North Carolina Legislature’s attack and wishes to recapture the forward momentum previously experienced in education and support of working families,” Art Sherwood of Lenoir announced his intention to run for the North Carolina Senate today. Sherwood brings his four decades’ experience in working with Veterans with spinal cord injuries, medical research, advising a federal agency and running a non-profit organization dedicated to restorative neurology to this, his first run for public office.

Sherwood and his wife, Gwen, have enjoyed spending time on their property in Caldwell County for nearly 50 years, and now he has retired to the home they built a decade ago. Sherwood’s family has deep roots in the mountains and foothills of Western North Carolina. His Great .Grandfather was a Baptist circuit-riding preacher in Caldwell and Watauga Counties, was co-founder of the First Baptist Church of Blowing Rock, and pastored churches in Watauga County. The community of Sherwood, near Sugar Grove, in Watauga County, took its name from the family. His grandfather was also a Baptist preacher, holding pastorates in North and South Carolina before finishing his career in Erwin, TN. Sherwood’s background, upbringing in the Christian faith and understanding of Jesus’ commandments has guided his life and compelled his attention to issues of justice. He and Gwen have two children and seven grandchildren, and it is out of deep concern for the world we are leaving those children that he has decided to run for office.

“Restoring North Carolina’s reputation for excellence in education will be my top priority when I get to Raleigh,” Sherwood said. “Securing education and the benefits of the health care professions for all citizens of the state is essential to their pursuit of the American dream. I will also work to protect voting rights,” he said, “and keeping Raleigh from interfering in the decisions of local governments. Raleigh needs to work on cleaning up its own act, and taking care of the futures of our children, not try to micro-manage decisions that are best left up to our local counties and towns.”