Race for Congress: Hurricane Florence on voters’ minds
Rouzer, elected by wide margins in 2014 and 2016, has been challenged by Democrat Dr.
"This is a major storm that has affected a large portion of the constituency all throughout," said Rouzer, a
"I think that, for a lot of people, the hurricane is very much on their minds because people are suffering and struggling throughout the district, unfortunately," Horton said.
Fallin said he believed most government and private agencies, including power companies and the
"I don't know you'd be able to get things up and running again any faster," he said. "It would be nice to be able to do something to somehow make (FEMA) better."
But the election is still going to happen, with early voting starting
"I'm obviously aware that an election is about a month away and we will be ... executing our campaign strategy," Rouzer said. "But obviously in the wake of a hurricane all of that changes. I'm certainly not ignoring
Other issues
Outside of
Horton supports lowering the Medicare eligibility age to 50 and creating a public option for health care coverage.
"People are deeply concerned that if they have a pre-existing condition or a history of substance abuse that they won't be able to get coverage," she said. "I think we should be working toward creating a safety net where every American has access to health care."
Rouzer said he believes issues outside his control -- including President
"There are a lot of things that shape the environment," he said. "But our focus on the campaign is going to be on talking about the things we've worked really hard on in the district."
Fallin, the
"We've got to keep people more responsible for what they're doing and held more accountable," he said. "Freedom of speech doesn't necessarily mean you can say things that aren't true and make someone look bad."
Beach nourishment
Rouzer said the hurricane highlighted the need for continued federal funding of beach nourishment projects. Officials from several beach communities said they weathered the storm well thanks to sand absorbing some of the storm's initial impacts of wind and storm surge. He said the initial investment in the projects likely saved the federal government untold costs in covering National Flood Insurance Program claims.
"If you look at the damage inflicted by the hurricane, those beaches that have had a good, strong, robust nourishment program fared a lot better that those beaches that didn't," Rouzer said.
It's a topic of agreement between Rouzer and Horton.
"I think the federal government should continue to play a role in beach nourishment projects," Horton said.
Play nice
Rouzer, Horton and Fallin were each asked to say something they liked or admired about one of the other candidates.
Rouzer called his Democratic challenger an honest campaigner, saying he appreciated that her campaign platforms accurately portray her positions. He said he has seen candidates campaign as moderates in the past, only to take more extreme positions after being elected.
"She strikes me as being very honest and straightforward in her liberal positions," he said. "From what I can tell, she's campaigning as a liberal."
Horton gave Rouzer credit for working to keep federal funding flowing to the region's beaches and for his work to secure
"I think he has tried genuinely on beach nourishment and on the bulkhead downtown to ensure he's doing the right thing for his community on those issues," she said.
Fallin said he doesn't know Horton well enough to judge her, but said "Rouzer has a lot of good qualities that I've seen. I don't think he's done a bad job overall."
Reporter
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