Courtney Geels, candidate for U.S. House District 4 in NC

Name: Courtney Geels

Political party: Republican

Age as of Nov. 8, 2022: 32

Campaign website: courtneygeelsforcongress.com

Occupation: Registered nurse

Education: Bachelor of Science in Nursing

Have you run for elected office before? No.

Please list highlights of your civic involvement: Church member; volunteer at Boys and Girls Club; homeless ministry; mentoring.

What are the three issues that you see as most important to your constituents and what will you do to address them?

We must stop printing money, and build a legitimate budget to decrease the debt and stop inflation. Create a voucher system/free market in education: will increase the number of schools opening; teachers would have better pay, smaller class sizes, and less regulation; more parent involvement in their child’s education; tailored education to fit the needs the individual child. We need to reform Medicaid/Medicare to ensure quality health care coverage for working Americans and elderly.

What action by Congress would you support to help reduce inflation?

If we stop printing money, and build a legitimate budget and work on decreasing the debt, that is the best thing for the American economy. We also need to be energy independent. The price of oil is driving up farming and transportation costs for goods. This is reflective in gas prices and food prices. Lower-income and middle-class Americans are hurting the most. Congress has to intervene and work for the American people.

What federal legislation would you support on abortion?

None; leave it to the states.

Should members of Congress be banned from owning and trading individual stocks?

Undecided.

What changes in U.S. immigration enforcement and restrictions would you support?

We have to secure the border to prevent drug and human trafficking. Once the border is secured, I would advocate for employers to be able to sponsor workers for paperwork referencing them as working non-threatening members of society. If illegal immigrants are caught breaking laws, they would need to be deported. I do not want a police state. After stopping influx of undocumented migrants coming through the border, we should concentrate on legal immigration. That is what America was founded on.

What legislation would you support to make Americans safer from crime? What legislation would you support to make mass shootings less likely?

I support funding for law enforcement. Mental health is a safety concern for those suffering from these illnesses, as well as those around them. I want to make sure we have the infrastructure to help everyone in regards to this subject. I support funding for building and staffing more mental health facilities (preventative, acute and chronic) and decreasing the regulations necessary to keep these facilities open.

What, if anything, does Congress need to investigate?

I think Congress needs more oversight in where it is spending money. Inflation and the economy are the number one issues on voters’ minds, and the out-of-control spending needs to be stopped. But the things that have already been spent need oversight of Congress, so the budget can be adjusted for things that are working and things that are not.

Do you accept the results of the 2020 presidential election?

Yes.