North Carolina House of Representatives District 18 candidate surveys, 2022

Elections in North Carolina, 2022

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This article shows responses from candidates in the 2022 election for North Carolina House of Representatives District 18 who completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey.

• Click here to see candidates and election results.
• Click here to see Candidate Connection survey responses.

Candidates and election results

General election

General election for North Carolina House of Representatives District 18

Incumbent Deb Butler defeated John Hinnant in the general election for North Carolina House of Representatives District 18 on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Deb Butler (D)	53.3	19,190
	Submit photo	John Hinnant (R)	46.7	16,806

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 35,996
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey responses

Ballotpedia asks all federal, state, and local candidates to complete a survey and share what motivates them on political and personal levels. The section below shows responses from candidates in this race who completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Survey responses from candidates in this race

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Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

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Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Deb Butler (D)

We should elect people to represent us who are committed to integrity and honesty, facts and science. The goal must be to elevate the public discourse in order to return to our civil society.

It is critically important that we work with urgency to preserve our natural environment. We should embrace the precautionary principle such that manufacturers must prove the safety of their processes before using public trust resources.

Money in politics is corrupting the process. Campaign finance reform is essential to insure that we are electing the best qualified candidates, not those who can raise the most money.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Deb Butler (D)

I want to see the end of cash bail for nonviolent offenders.

I want to reimagine the dischrge permitting process to protect our natural environment. I want to incrementally raise the minimum wage to a living wage. I want to expand Medicaid in NC. I want topass statewide non-discrimination legilsation. I want to invest in NC schools and teachers in a more robust fashion. I want to foster investment in renewable energy sources. I want to decriminalize the personal use of small amounts of cannabis.

In no particular order....

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

Deb Butler (D)

I am always moved by "ordinary people" when they do extraordinary things. Like the firefighter who repels over the side of a skyscraper to save someone from a burning building, or the heroes of 911 who died trying to save others. The stories of heroic people who do things for the sake of others. The moments of self-sacrifice when people rise to the challenge when the circumstances require it.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Deb Butler (D)

Intelligence

Integrity Honesty Work Ethic Approachability

In no particular order

What legacy would you like to leave?

Deb Butler (D)

I suppose I would like for people to know that I did the best job I could for them. That I truly cared and worked for policies that I believed would improve their lives. I hope to have been a role model and perhaps to have inspired young folks, especially little girls so that they wouldn't be afraid to try and succeed.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

Deb Butler (D)

I remember the first moonwalk. It was beyond comprehension. I was 8 years old.

What do you believe is the ideal relationship between the governor and state legislature?

Deb Butler (D)

The Legislature makes the law, the Judiciary interprets the law, and the Governor as the Executive, implements the law and has the authority to veto legislation that he or she finds unacceptable. This is the proper distributuion of power that serves as the check and balance necessary in government.

Do you believe that it’s beneficial for state legislators to have previous experience in government or politics?

Deb Butler (D)

No. You just need to be a hardworker who is committed to learning and doing what's best for your constituents in your considered judgment.

What process do you favor for redistricting?

Deb Butler (D)

I favor an independent commission who is charged with following the mapmaking criteria as determined by the Judiciary.

If you are a current legislator, what appealed to you about your current committees?

Deb Butler (D)

I serve on Finance, Transporation, Commerce, Banking, and Judiciary. These committees are in line with the work I have done as an Attorney so I enjoy them and believe that I make meaningful contributions accordingly.

Are you interested in running for a different political office (for example, the U.S. Congress or governor) in the future?

Deb Butler (D)

Never say never I suppose.

Should the legislature oversee or grant the use of emergency powers?

Deb Butler (D)

I think the lion's share of emergency powers should reside in the Executive Branch. We saw during Covid as well as during natural disasters such as hurricanes, for example, that decisions need to be made swiftly and nimbly. I think it's too difficult to make these life or death decisions by committee.

Do you believe that compromise is necessary or desirable for policymaking?

Deb Butler (D)

It is essential and we do not do enough of it.

See also

More about these elections:

• North Carolina House of Representatives elections, 2022

Select a district below to read responses from candidates in those races:

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