Pattie Curran
Pattie Curran was a 2016 Republican candidate who sought election to the U.S. House to represent the 5th Congressional District of North Carolina.[1] Curran was defeated by incumbent Virginia Foxx in the Republican primary.[2]
Biography
Curran served in the Army National Guard and then attended Officer Candidate School. She received the Army Achievement Medal for meritorious achievement when she served as Executive Officer for the HHD 165th Transportation Battalion. In 1991, she graduated from Louisiana State University with a B.S. in psychology. Curran has worked as a social worker and also founded the Shwachman-Diamond America nonprofit group, which supports people with Shwachman-Diamond Syndrome, a rare congenital disorder.[3]
She and her husband, Chris, have three children. Two of her sons have Shwachman-Diamond Syndrome.[3]
Elections
2016
Heading into the election, Ballotpedia rated this race as safely Republican. Incumbent Virginia Foxx (R) defeated Josh Brannon (D) in the general election. Foxx defeated Pattie Curran in the Republican primary, while Brannon defeated Jim Roberts and Charlie Wallin for the Democratic nomination. The primary election took place on June 7, 2016. The general election took place on November 8, 2016.[4]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican |  Virginia Foxx Incumbent |
58.4% | 207,625 | |
| Democratic | Josh Brannon | 41.6% | 147,887 | |
| Total Votes | 355,512 | |||
| Source: North Carolina State Board of Elections | ||||
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Virginia Foxx Incumbent |
67.9% | 17,162 | ||
| Pattie Curran | 32.1% | 8,098 | ||
| Total Votes | 25,260 | |||
| Source: North Carolina State Board of Elections |
||||
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Josh Brannon |
47.7% | 7,430 | ||
| Charlie Wallin | 26.9% | 4,184 | ||
| Jim Roberts | 25.4% | 3,959 | ||
| Total Votes | 15,573 | |||
| Source: North Carolina State Board of Elections |
||||
Campaign themes
2016
Curran listed the following issues on her campaign website. Please note that the quotes below are excerpts and more information may be found on her campaign website.[5]
- Education: "The Constitution of the United States does not include a provision for the federal government to be involved in education. Education should be left to the states and local communities. Parents have the God-given right to educate their children as they see fit."
- Energy: "Government should not be in the business of picking winners and losers. Government’s responsibility is to secure our natural rights, not to promote one energy source over another. Government often stands in the way with its onerous regulations."
- Health Care: "As a mother of two children with chronic, life-threatening illnesses, I understand firsthand the devastating consequences the Affordable Care Act, known as Obamacare, reaps on middle class families. Our family spends a large amount of time in doctors’ offices and in the hospital. Obamacare has been financially detrimental for my family."
- Immigration: "No Amnesty! It is a constitutional obligation of the government to protect our borders. Not enforcing our current laws and allowing millions to cross our borders illegally is a threat to our nation’s security. Immigration reform must start with securing our borders and enforcing existing immigration laws."
- Life: "Life begins at conception. Life should be protected from the moment of conception to natural death. I will fight to defend the sanctity of human life. I will support bills such as the Pain Capable Unborn Child Protection Act (20 week anti-abortion bill) and legislation that ends government funding of abortion."
- National Defense: "A strong military is essential to the survival of our nation. Our first priority must be to secure and defend our sovereign borders. National defense is the most important constitutional function of the federal government. As the primary responsibility, it should receive top priority in the budget."
- Religious Liberty: "Our founders understood the importance of religious liberty. They had come to the new world seeking freedom to worship and live out their faith in daily life. The first amendment to our Constitution is clear, 'Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.'"
- Second Amendment: "The second amendment is clear. The right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed. I am a concealed carry permit holder and frequently open-carry. I will not endorse or support any gun control legislation that will limit the individual rights of American citizens. I will not allow our natural rights to be compromised."
- Spending: "The federal government is $18 trillion in debt, yet it continues to spend money on functions that are better left to the states. This out-of-control debt puts the U.S. at risk for slower economic growth and a debt-driven financial crisis, among other things. Debt and high taxes are caused by the same problem: excessive spending."
- Taxes: "The U.S. tax code is extensive and complex. The tax code should only exist to collect the funds needed to run the constitutionally enumerated functions of government. The tax code contains more than 4 million words, more than four times the length of the Bible. America’s tax code stifles the economy and punishes innovation and success, diminishing opportunities for American families and businesses."
Campaign finance summary
Ballotpedia currently provides campaign finance data for all federal- and state-level candidates from 2020 and later. We are continuously working to expand our data to include prior elections. That information will be published here as we acquire it. If you would like to help us provide this data, please consider donating to Ballotpedia.
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Pattie Curran North Carolina Congress. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
- United States House of Representatives
- North Carolina's 5th Congressional District election, 2016
- North Carolina's 5th Congressional District
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Pattie Curran for Congress, "Home," accessed August 24, 2015
- ↑ The New York Times, "North Carolina Primary Results," June 7, 2016
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Pattie Curran for Congress, "About," accessed January 25, 2016
- ↑ North Carolina State Board of Elections, "June Primary Candidates," accessed March 27, 2016
- ↑ Pattie Curran for Congress, "Issues," accessed January 25, 2016
