Former VP Mike Pence visits Raleigh to boost Ted Budd in final days of campaigning

Former Vice President Mike Pence, who has been campaigning for Republican candidates across the country ahead of the midterms, joined GOP U.S. Senate candidate Ted Budd for an event in Raleigh on Wednesday.

The visit by Pence to North Carolina comes just under a week from Election Day, and is the latest in a number of visits to the state by high-profile leaders of both parties to campaign for Budd and his opponent, Democrat Cheri Beasley, in recent weeks.

Pence, a former congressman who served one term as governor of Indiana before being tapped by Donald Trump in 2016 to serve as his running mate, praised the economic policies of the Trump administration, and said voters concerned about the high cost of living and energy would be better off under a Republican-controlled Congress.

He criticized President Joe Biden for revoking a permit for the controversial Keystone XL pipeline and said Republicans need to elect “strong champions of American energy independence” like Budd.

“Everything they have done has driven this economy into a ditch,” Pence said, of the Biden administration. “It’s almost like they took a mirror up to our agenda, which was less taxes, less regulation, more American energy, more American trade that puts American jobs and workers first, and they flipped it.”

School board races and school choice

Moderating the conversation between Pence and Budd, N.C. GOP Chairman Michael Whatley said that in addition to the current state of the economy, voters are also concerned about schools and what is being taught in them. He pointed to high levels of enthusiasm in school board races across the state as an example of parents wanting to be more involved in the education system.

Budd said he had met many voters who acknowledged the importance of the U.S. Senate race and thanked him for running, but were most interested in their local school board candidates and having a say in their children’s education.

“They see what’s happened to these precious six or eight hours in a school day, and they’ve inserted a woke, leftist, socialist agenda,” Budd said. “Then you go and you measure these kids. How are our 9-year-olds doing? How are the ACT scores for the soon-to-be high school graduates? And it’s everything is going backwards.”

Pence also said North Carolina Republicans should follow the example of Arizona, which enacted a universal school choice voucher program in July.

“I believe that’s a game changer. Now, it’s going to take new leadership in state houses across the country,” Pence said, before turning to N.C. House Speaker Tim Moore, who was seated in the audience. “Wouldn’t hurt if we had a supermajority in the state legislature, Mr. Speaker. It’s going to take strong, conservative judges on supreme courts.”

Democrats attack Pence, Budd on abortion

Ahead of Pence’s visit, N.C. Democrats criticized Budd for campaigning with the former vice president, who they said was “one of the biggest proponents of banning abortion nationally.”

They pointed to Pence’s remarks in an interview on the day the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, in which he said opponents of abortion “must not rest and must not relent until the sanctity of life is restored to the center of American law in every state in the land.”

Budd himself has voiced support for abortion restrictions and, when asked about potential exceptions for rape and incest, has pointed instead to exceptions for saving the life of the mother. He cosponsored a bill introduced by GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, which would impose a national ban on abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy, while permitting exceptions for rape, incest, or a pregnancy with life-threatening complications.

“There is only one reason that Mike Pence is coming to campaign with Congressman Budd: He knows that Budd will vote to ban abortion nationwide — without any exception. Pence and Budd want to impose their extreme, dangerous agenda on North Carolina women,” Kate Frauenfelder, a spokesperson for the N.C. Democratic Party, said in a statement.

Campaigning goes into full gear in final days

With less than a week to go until the election, Budd was asked how he would spend his time during the remaining few days of campaigning.

Budd said he would continue traveling across the state, visiting polling sites, churches, and other places to meet voters and ask for their support.

Earlier on Wednesday, Budd participated in a round-table discussion with law enforcement officers in Asheboro. Beasley spent the day holding a press conference in Raleigh before visiting polling sites in Chatham and Orange counties, and finishing the day with a community event in Durham.

The busy schedules are expected to continue for both candidates right up until Nov. 8. A number of recent polls have shown Budd leading Beasley — in two instances, with an advantage greater than the margin of error — and Republicans competing in races across the country have grown increasingly bullish of their chances of winning the House and Senate.

“We’re going to stay focused, we’re going to work hard, and we’re going to stay humble,” Budd said. “Because people talk about a red wave, and that’s something you sit back from the beach and watch. And, you know, to make a wave happen, you’ve got to get in there and you’ve got to get in the pool and splash.”

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