John Harris, candidate for NC House District 36

Kyle Ingram

Name: John Harris

Political party: Republican

Age as of Nov. 8, 2022: 33

Campaign website: www.johnharrisfornc.com

Occupation: Attorney

Education: B.A., UNC-Chapel Hill; J.D., UNC School of Law

Have you run for elected office before? No

Please list highlights of your civic involvement: I’m an active member of my church, serving on our outreach ministry leadership team and local missions team supporting local ministries in the Triangle and elsewhere. I’ve served as a youth sports coach dating back to college and have served as coaches for my son’s sports teams, including Town of Apex T-ball. I’m also a member of the Federalist Society, a nonpartisan legal organization that hosts speakers and events of interest to the legal community.

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

Three critical issues are (1) securing our economic future; (2) educating our kids to compete in the 21st century; and (3) public safety. To attract good jobs and fight back against inflation, we need to invest in key infrastructure to support our area’s high growth, keep taxes low, and create job-ready graduates. I support increasing teacher pay to recruit and retain the best in the classroom and reforming higher education so our kids can get the education they need without loads of debt.

At a time when costs are rising, state government has a surplus. How should it be used?

North Carolina should be prudent with our surplus, knowing that lean years often follow years of plenty, and inflation is a reality we must confront. So as we lower taxes on North Carolina families, I support dedicating a portion of the surplus to our saving and inflationary reserves to ensure we can meet the state’s needs in a time of economic uncertainty. I think we should otherwise invest the surplus in infrastructure, school safety, and raising teacher pay to recruit and retain the best educators.

Will you vote for Medicaid expansion in North Carolina?

Undecided.

What has the legislature gotten right, and what has it gotten wrong, about public education in North Carolina?

The General Assembly has rightly focused on innovation and expanding opportunities for students to get the job training options they need through community colleges and apprenticeship programs. I want to continue focusing on higher education reform to further develop those options, so students can get a good job without taking on loads of debt. I also think we need to do more with respect to our classroom educators and increasing their pay so we can recruit and retain the best teachers.

Should North Carolina change its abortion laws? How?

Undecided.

Please add anything else voters should know about your position on the legality or availability of abortion in North Carolina.

I marked “undecided” above as none of the options fairly represent my position*. I’ve put out a lengthy statement at www.johnharrisfornc.com. Here’s the summary: North Carolina should update our laws to what most voters support: (1) no total ban, meaning exceptions for rape, incest, and life of the mother; (2) reasonable time limits on elective abortion, around the first trimester, with hearings with medical professionals to determine final timelines; and (3) maintaining North Carolina’s prohibition on taxpayer funding.

*Editors Note: Candidates were provided with the following multiple choice options to the previous question. A response was required to complete the questionnaire.

  • There should be a ban on abortion, with no exceptions.

  • There should be a ban on abortion, with some exceptions.

  • Abortion should be banned starting at some point during the first trimester.

  • Abortion should be banned starting at the end of the first trimester (12 weeks).

  • The current state law banning abortion after 20 weeks should remain.

  • There should be fewer restrictions on abortion after 20 weeks.

  • There should be no restrictions on abortion.

  • Undecided

Should medical marijuana be legalized in North Carolina?

Undecided.

What, if anything, should the legislature to do shape curriculum dealing with topics of race, sexuality and gender?

Our schools are generally state-funded and managed, so on social issues where we know people have disagreements, it is entirely appropriate for the legislature to represent constituents by providing policy direction in these areas. For example, with respect to gender identity and human sexuality, it is entirely appropriate to adopt a statewide policy of limiting teaching of those topics in early years (i.e., K - 3rd grade) given different stages of child development.

Do you accept the results of the 2020 presidential election?

Yes.

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