The Brunswick County Democratic Party hosted a highly successful Candidate Forum on the evening of Thursday, May 12 at the party’s headquarters in Bolivia. Three of the four Democratic candidates running for U.S. House of Representatives in our Congressional District 7 attended: Steve Miller, Charles Graham, and Charles Evans. The fourth candidate, Yushonda Midgette, was expected as well, but had a last-minute conflict.
In addition, one of the two Democrats running for the North Carolina General Assembly, District 17 House seat, Eric Terashima, participated. The other candidate, Edward McKeithan, was invited as well, but was unavailable.
Over 80 people were in attendance to hear speeches from each of the candidates, followed by a question and answer session with BCDP spokesman and moderator for the event, Lon Anderson. Audience members were then given the opportunity to ask questions of the candidates, and a reception following the forum gave attendees a further chance to speak one-on-one with the contenders.
The Three U.S. Congressional Candidates
Steve Miller is from New Hanover County, worked for the Environmental Protection Agency, and has a Ph.D. in chemistry. Charles Graham is a current representative in the North Carolina General Assembly from Robeson County (serving his 6th term) and a former teacher of special needs students. Charles Evans is a thrice-elected County Commissioner in Cumberland County and a U.S. military veteran. All three candidates were asked if they supported a woman’s right to choose, and all responded with an emphatic “yes.” Further, they each pledged to actively support the eventual winner of their race, signaling that replacing David Rouzer with a leader with Democratic values was paramount.
The NC General Assembly Candidate
Eric Terashima is a retired U.S. Marine Colonel with 30 years of military service, and he currently serves on the board of Brunswick County’s Habitat for Humanity. He spoke of finding middle ground with voters by addressing issues that affect all Brunswick County Dist. 17 residents, regardless of party affiliation. He pointed out, for example, that although Frank Iler (Republican NCGA incumbent) is the head of the Transportation Committee, he has no plans to replace the Cape Fear Bridge, despite the crucial need to do so.
You can view the entire Forum -- and more -- on our BCDP YouTube Channel
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BCDP YouTube Channel
Reporter Celeste Smith from WWAY3 News covered the forum. It was the lead story at 11:00 PM on WWAY3 News, ABC and CBS channels, the evening of the event. It was also the lead story on WWAY3/ABC: "Good Morning Carolina" at 6 AM the following morning. Segments appeared at 5:30 AM on WWAY3/ABC’s "Good Morning Carolina;" at 7:30 and 8:00 AM on CBS, "CBS Mornings" (WWAY3); and at 12:06 PM on CBS, "WWAY News at Noon."