As election day comes upon us, it’s crunch time for voters to decide who they want to represent them. Voters need to know who aligns more with their standards and look past the soundbites they hear from news outlets, social media and attack ads. Candidate profiles are vital to voters when making crucial decisions in local, state and federal elections. On the ballot for North Carolina District 119 will be two familiar faces. Mike Clampitt (R) and Joe Sam Queen (D) will be facing each other for the fifth straight race.
For additional candidate profiles running for office to represent WNC in North Carolina or Washington D.C. or stories about the Election 2020 click here.
Joe Sam Queen
Bio:
District 119 Democratic candidate Joe Sam Queen.
Incumbent Queen currently holds the 119th seat for the NC house. He began his political career back in 2002 when he first served on the legislature. According to his website he is a sixth-generation citizen of the mountains. He is a farmer, an architect, a businessman, a father and a husband.
“As a united Methodist, I’ve taught Sunday school for over 20 years, led Boy Scouts, and coached youth soccer. And, like my granddaddy before me, I call the Appalachian Square Dance,” said Queen on his website.
Positions:
- Supports regional manufacturing, encouraging small business and tourism growth in the region.
- Supports the growth of academic programs and the advancement of education as a whole. He believes that education is the key to creating a great economy.
- Believes in responsible growth that focuses on protecting the environment.
- Supports preventative healthcare and lifelong wellness. He firmly believes that healthcare should be affordable and accessible to everyone.
- Supports expansion of Medicaid.
- Supports creating a better life in the mountains for all citizens.
- Has secured thousands of dollars to support dropout prevention programs in high schools as a legislature, according to his website.
- Supported the building of the new Apodaca Science Building on WCU’s campus, and the Health and Human Sciences Building.
Queen has backed bills like “Close the Medicaid Coverage Gap,” “Standing Up for Rape Victims Act of 2019” and “Nonpartisan Redistricting Commission.”
Queen believes that the Republican majority are undermining important aspects of society such as health care, education and the right to vote.
“We’re working on unity and perfecting our unity not destroying it and not making it an oppressive thing from the rich to the poor or the white to the black or men and women,” Queen said in an interview with the Mountaineer . “I am very interested in equality and justice for all.”
Events:
Queen has not hosted any events, and only leaves his house for a two mile walk outside once per day. He has been Zooming frequently and noted that not being able to hold a square dance, as he typically does, could impact his campaign. COVID-19 has impacted his campaign a lot and has forced him to take a different approach to campaigning this year.
Fundraising:
According to Ballotpedia, Queen has raised $257,107 from January 2019 to July 10, 2020. This includes $5,400 from NC Realtors PAC, Flippable Federal PAC, Democratic Redistricting PAC and others. It’s worth noting that Queen has raised nearly ten times as much money as Clampitt. The increased flow of money into Queen’s campaign is primarily due to the national interest on the state because North Carolina is considered a flippable state in 2020.
Mike Clampitt
Bio:
District 119 Republican candidate Mike Clampitt.
Clampitt previously held the 119th seat from 2017 to 2019. The 2020 election will mark the fifth time Clampitt will run against Queen, with 2016 being his only win. Before Clampitt’s political career he was a firefighter for 27 years. He also worked as the Asst. Sergeant at Arms for the General Assembly of North Carolina. He has presented himself as a political outsider, not a politician but a fireman. Clampitt’s success has typically followed the over-all political climate of the nation, he said that the “Trump-Train” was a big help to his win in 2016. He has described himself as “bible-thumping, gun totting, adorable intolerable,” in a previous debate back in 2016.
Positions:
- Is against the expansion of Medicaid.
- Believes in lowering taxes, he believes that keeping taxes low helps businesses thrive.
- In favor of partisan redistricting.
- Supports increasing the pay of teachers, improve classroom investments and securing schools.
- Believes that lower taxes help businesses grow and help families make ends meet. He thinks that the best way to grow the economy is to keep money in businesses pockets.
- Insists that nothing is free and wants people to pay for what they believe they need.
- Wants to prioritize defeating the Coronavirus pandemic and reopen North Carolina safe and strong. He said in his website, “we must provide the funding necessary to increase quick and effective testing, find common sense safety measures, and lend a hand to businesses in need.”
- Pro-legalizing medical use of cannabis. This is a recent change in his stance. He said in an interview with Smokey Mountain News, “now, the CBD and the cannabis that’s used for pain management, you know I do see a use for that medically. Given the group that will hopefully be elected, I don’t see legalization of the intoxicating form of cannabis.”
Clampitt has backed bills like “Voter Integrity,” “Repeal Pistol Permit Requirements” and “Enact Right to Life at Conception Act.”
Clampitt is weary of mail-in voting. He doesn’t believe it’s a viable system. He has also supported bills that would extend the amount of time someone has to live in a region in order to register to vote. This was in response to his loss in 2018. Clampitt thinks that college students at Western Carolina University should have to vote in their districts back home because students’ outside influence unfairly shifts the election.
“We need conservative candidates from bottom to top with principals and morals,” Clampitt said in an interview with the Mountaineer. “I would appreciate everyone getting out and voting if they feel comfortable enough to get out and vote in person and not fall victim to the blanket mail-in voting scam.”
Events:
Clampitt said that he has been using Facebook, radio, phone calls and word of mouth. He also has been utilizing Zoom to meet with voters.
Fundraising:
According to Ballotpedia, Clampitt has raised $27,618 between January 2019 to July 10,2020. Clampitt hasn’t had a lot of donors, $5,000 of his $6,500 raised came from Ronald M. Cameron, a wealthy poultry farmer from Arkansas who is a well-known ally of President Trump.
Debate:
The first debate between the candidates is scheduled for Sept. 24, from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. hosted by Blue Ridge Public Radio. It will be live streamed on their social media and on the radio.
WCJ will continue to cover this race.
The story was written as part of the Election 2020 Coverage class.
