Bo Hess
Bo Hess (Democratic Party) ran for election to the U.S. House to represent North Carolina's 11th Congressional District. He lost in the Democratic primary on May 17, 2022.
Biography
Bo Hess was born in Lubbock, Texas, and lives in Asheville, North Carolina. Hess earned an associate degree of human services technology from Asheville-Buncombe County Technical College and bachelor's and master's degrees in social work from Western Carolina University. His career experience includes working as a social worker and psychiatric clinician.[1]
Elections
2022
See also: North Carolina's 11th Congressional District election, 2022
North Carolina's 11th Congressional District election, 2022 (May 17 Republican primary)
North Carolina's 11th Congressional District election, 2022 (May 17 Democratic primary)
General election
General election for U.S. House North Carolina District 11
Chuck Edwards defeated Jasmine Beach-Ferrara and David Coatney in the general election for U.S. House North Carolina District 11 on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Chuck Edwards (R) | 53.8 | 174,232 |
 | Jasmine Beach-Ferrara (D) | 44.5 | 144,165 | |
 | David Coatney (L) | 1.7 | 5,515 | |
| Total votes: 323,912 | |||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Steve Woodsmall (Independent)
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for U.S. House North Carolina District 11
The following candidates ran in the Democratic primary for U.S. House North Carolina District 11 on May 17, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Jasmine Beach-Ferrara | 59.7 | 32,478 |
 | Katie Dean | 25.6 | 13,957 | |
 | Jay Carey | 7.1 | 3,858 | |
 | Bo Hess | 3.8 | 2,082 | |
| Marco Gutierrez | 1.9 | 1,040 | ||
 | Bynum Lunsford | 1.8 | 1,002 | |
| Total votes: 54,417 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Josh Remillard (D)
- Brooker Smith (D)
- Chelsea White (D)
Republican primary election
Republican primary for U.S. House North Carolina District 11
The following candidates ran in the Republican primary for U.S. House North Carolina District 11 on May 17, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Chuck Edwards | 33.4 | 29,496 |
 | Madison Cawthorn | 31.9 | 28,112 | |
 | Matthew Burril | 9.5 | 8,341 | |
 | Bruce O'Connell | 6.8 | 6,037 | |
 | Rod Honeycutt | 6.5 | 5,775 | |
 | Michele Woodhouse | 5.3 | 4,668 | |
 | Wendy Nevarez | 5.1 | 4,525 | |
 | Kristie Sluder | 1.5 | 1,304 | |
| Total votes: 88,258 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Eric Batchelor (R)
Libertarian primary election
The Libertarian primary election was canceled. David Coatney advanced from the Libertarian primary for U.S. House North Carolina District 11.
Campaign themes
2022
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Bo Hess did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.
Campaign website
Hess' campaign website stated the following:
| “ |
Jobs and Infrastructure Bo will work to create more jobs for hardworking Western North Carolinians by investing in infrastructure repair programs and fighting for tax incentives that bring high-wage, high-tech companies to the district. He will fight for a living wage, to close the gender pay gap and expand paid family leave. Bo knows that every Western North Carolinian who does an honest day’s work should be able to support a family and get ahead.
Bo knows that access to affordable, quality health care is a right deserved by every resident of Western North Carolina. And every resident deserves to live in a community that can provide teams-based care with providers that care for patients in a holistic way. Bo’s goal is to provide healthcare and mental healthcare to every Western North Carolinian. Healthcare is a right but Americans deserve the right to choose which insurance policy is best for them and their family. Medicare for All is a great goal, but in practical application would fall short of changing how health is approached in America. If Americans have the choice between private insurance and an expanded public option, we can achieve Universal Coverage without taking away choice. Americans shouldn’t be forced to “choose” a policy with unrealistic deductibles they will never meet. Bo will work to protect and expand Medicaid to support rural hospitals, support incentives for providers to move back to rural communities that are in “healthcare deserts," and support technology that connects a patient to their providers from a teams-based approach. Bo recognizes how social-determinants affect health. A child with Asthma living with mold in the home will not become healthy without changes to their environment. These social-determinants, when applicable, should be billed to health insurance policies. Bo will implement common-sense policies that combat the opiate epidemic. Legalization of Cannabis will impact lives across the social-political spectrum, restoring justice and creating opportunities for non-opiate based pain management programs to flourish in our communities. Bo supports increased funding for research into MDMA, Psilocybin, Cannabis, and other alternative treatments for PTSD, anxiety, depression, and therapeutic methods of treatment.
Bo knows every student in Western North Carolina deserves the opportunity to learn in the best schools in the state with caring and qualified educators. Closing the opportunity gap is one of Bo's top priorities. In Washington, Bo will fight for funding for our schools that is not only stable but equitable, because all students should have access to a high-quality education regardless of their zip code. Bo supports more protections for LGBTQ+ students in public schools. Families and their children should have access to Universal Pre-K and Head Start Programs, because Bo knows that early childhood development is essential for the success of our society at large. Bo believes that students entering the public-service “helping” professions should have access to loan-forgiveness programs that encourage the development of strong, healthy, local communities. Bo supports increased funding for HBCUs and will work with community leaders to propose legislation that does more than pay lip-service to “diversity” and other goals that have no real-world applications.
Bo knows that protecting our liberty and democracy should always be our first priority. He will fight to strengthen our military to ensure a safe future for generations of North Carolinians to come. Bo does not believe that “defunding” the police will increase community safety. Bo has facilitated mental health training for law enforcement officers and first responders for years to increase knowledge and empathy, and build trust between officers and vulnerable populations. Systemic issues perpetuating unnecessary law enforcement interactions that lead to lethal force can be addressed and fixed from the top-down. Bo believes in common sense solutions to community safety that include allocating more funds for police departments to use for training officers, especially in hand-to-hand combat, mental healthcare services for officers, and higher wages, which will benefit the whole community by decreasing stress on officers. From the perspective of community members, ending felony disenfranchisement in the economy and in voting, ending the prohibition of cannabis, ending the crack/cocaine disparity in sentencing guidelines, reforming the credit system so that it is more equitable, and banning solitary confinement in federal prisons (while providing incentives for other prisons as well) will all help to achieve lower crime rates and safer communities. Federal funding for community oversight committees of policing will also help to increase trust between law enforcement and the citizens they are sworn to protect.
The United States is a nation of immigrants. Countless individuals and families made a commitment to come to this country in search of the American dream. We are stronger as a county through generations of immigrants who have contributed to our great nation and even given the ultimate sacrifice serving in our armed forces. However, our current immigration system is under stress. Bo supports a strong and secure border that treats those wishing to come in humanely. New legislation can incentivize legal immigration and deter unlawful immigration through creating policies that simplify the complicated and burdensome processes and support the agencies that enact them. Bo supports a comprehensive immigration plan that couples border security with a pathway to citizenship. Bo supporters offering a practical and just pathway to citizenship for DREAMers and others who have made a positive contribution to our economy. In office, Bo will support increasing the limit of H1B visas for skilled foreign workers who contribute an estimated $100B USD to the national GDP annually up to 90,000 from 65,000. Bo supports the recent increase on H2B visas by the Department of Homeland Security and recognizes the net benefit on our economic recovery by these non-immigrant seasonal workers. Looking back on the pandemic, Bo realized that cooperation and coordination among the various levels of government and the private sector was a huge asset, one that needs to be cultivated more to tackle the ongoing crisis at the southern border. Through managing a coordinated response between local, state, and federal institutions that partner with private sector health workers, social workers, and other public workers; our country can come together to face this unprecedented challenge in practical ways.
Bo understands that without a robust and healthy farming and food infrastructure America’s national security is at risk. Bo also understands that a one-size-fits-all approach will not work for the varied farming communities in America. Bo will work to make sure that farmers have access to training, equipment and subsidies that will move their production into the 21st century. Bo supports sustainable farming practices such as improved water management, intercropping, soil amendments, improved animal waste management and agroforestry that will allow farmers to reduce their exposure to floods and droughts, store more carbon on their farms, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and increase their profits. Bo supports research and development into 21st-century farming practices such as increased organic farming, green development, and research into antibiotic and antiviral interventions that do not create an increased risk for superbugs. Bo supports small farms and evening the growing field. Small farms are often unable to compete with huge corporation farming, or to defend themselves against frivolous lawsuits that put them out of business. Bo supports creating the right incentives and access to affordable capital and technologies for farmers to lift them into the future and increase their farm’s profitability. Bo will work in Congress to utilize food surplus in a productive way, such as feeding the hungry and creating emergency food banks.
In Congress, Bo will fight to protect our lakes, forests, rivers, and streams to create a sustainable environment for all Western North Carolina families from expanding the renewable energy standard and reducing carbon emissions to working with farmers to support innovative farming practices. Addressing climate change and its impact on our communities is a multifaceted issue. Bo supports the Biden administration in its plan to create and implement a National Crisis Strategy to address differing impacts of climate change, including: heat waves, sea level rise, air pollution, wildfires, and hurricanes, as well as helping vulnerable communities to develop their own emergency response plan. Bo knows how environmental justice intersects with underserved communities and will work to support laws offsetting pollution in those communities. He will work to ensure that all policy will compel the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to provide disaster relief more quickly to underserved populations. In terms of manufacturing and climate change, Bo will work to create more incentives for manufacturers and consumers to go green. One of the largest contributors to greenhouse gas emissions is factory farming and Bo will address this issue by supporting legislation that creates space for research and development of lab grown meats and the expansion and preservation of designated wildlife lands.
The brave service members that honorably served to protect our nation's liberties and freedoms deserve the best care and services our nation can provide. As the son of a veteran, Bo knows this better than anyone. He will fight tirelessly in Washington to increase the quality of life for disabled veterans, ensure veterans have access to good-paying jobs and our military families are given the benefits and care they deserve. Bo supports reviewing all other-than honorable discharges and extending service benefits to those veterans if applicable and correcting uneven barriers to service benefits for LGBTQ+ and BIPOC service members suffering from mental illness. Bo supports allowing physicians to prescribe medical cannabis for PTSD for service members and creating supporting programs for families of service members during times of medical or psychiatric illness or crisis. Most importantly, Bo supports increasing the health care workforce and infrastructure, and working to reduce wait times for veteran health care to under 72 hours.
Western North Carolinians deserve to feel safe in their communities and to have their second amendment rights respected. In Congress, Bo will fight for common sense gun safety, without compromising our constitutional rights. Guns should be kept out of the hands of dangerous people without putting an undue burden on law-abiding gun owners. Bo will work to create digitized gun records that are easily searchable, tighten the gun show loophole, require vendors to keep inventories of weapons, propose “Red Flag” Laws that have consequences for “crying wolf,” and increase inspections of weapons while providing inspectors with badges. Special interest groups like the NRA have controlled the narrative about gun ownership and gun rights for a long time. The NRA is the same group that was silent when Philando Castile was shot and killed during a routine traffic stop in St. Anthony, MN for following NRA guidelines when announcing a concealed carry, but called law enforcement officers “jack-booted government thugs” in regards to the standoff in Waco, Tx that left four officers dead. Observation of the second amendment should be applied equally, not only when it suits the interests of the NRA.
The future is going to be ruled by data and computing and currently there are no clear rules, policies, or laws regarding some of our most advanced technological breakthroughs such as data collection, biometrics, and artificial intelligence (AI). Bo aims to support a single legislative data-protection mandate to preserve individual privacy and reconcile the difference between state and federal requirements. A more comprehensive legal framework is needed: one that provides a mix of incentives for better security practices, disclosures, and individual protections. Bo will work to make user agreements simple and negotiable and will work to make sure that no one is silenced in perpetuity without time limits and proper reviews. Bo recognizes that the online infrastructure of our government needs to be updated so that contacting government agencies is less timely and frustrating for citizens. Expanding affordable access to broadband is essential for progressing social and economic equity and is beneficial for our entire democracy. Enhancing cyber security for all individuals, firms, and agencies is more important than ever, as we have seen play out with devastating consequences this year. Russia, China, and other bad actors will continue to attack our domestic infrastructure and we can no longer ignore the threat of poor cyber security in hopes it will go away.[2] |
” |
| —Bo Hess' campaign website (2022)[3] | ||
See also
2022 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Bo Hess for Congress, "Meet Bo," accessed April 15, 2022
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Bo Hess for US Congress, “Issues,” accessed April 12, 2022
