United States Senate election in North Carolina, 2022 (May 17 Republican primary)

We Run: I am running to be the next junior Senator from NC to protect Constitutionally recognized individual liberties but that alone is not enough. Conservatives and all freedom loving peoples must seek to enter public office at every level of governance to ensure the principles of limited government and individual freedom are preserved or support those that do. We can no longer depend alone on the career politician to protect our interests. We must do it ourselves as well.

We Fight: I am running because I want to actively stand against the enemies of individual liberty at the federal level, but again, I cannot be the only one in order to preserve our most cherished freedoms. In every arena and space where policy is being debated we enter into it and vigorously contend for freedom and liberty in mayoral races, city council elections, and school board races. We show up and stand up for liberty to let those who abhor individual freedom know that we will stand for Constitutional freedoms ...and that we will win.

We Speak: twitter, facebook, instagram, and other legacy social media sites censor conservatives. The White House is censoring conservatives. Legacy media is censoring conservatives. We must speak out about the issues that matter, from the radical agenda to force toddlers to conform to liberal gender ideology to the left's attack on parental rights in public education, we all must speak out against their very dangerous agenda and refuse to be silenced.

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Security: These are dangerous times. From rising crime rates to foreign adversaries who are determined to exploit America’s security weaknesses and destroy the American way of life, North Carolina needs serious, qualified leaders like me who have already defended our country to lead the fight for our security. North Carolina was hit harder than any other state by the recent cyberattack against Colonial Pipeline which left 71% of our gas stations empty for a week. I know from my hard-earned experiences in national security that the attack was a rehearsal for a larger future attack –– and we need Frontline Leadership in Washington to protect North Carolina families.

Economy: The supply chain is a wreck because of COVID. Our leaders are printing money with reckless abandon, driving up inflation and leaving fewer hard-earned dollars in the pockets of North Carolina families. We need to take common sense actions to accelerate America’s recovery as we forge our way out of the pandemic. That can only be accomplished by protecting free markets and focusing on each other –– not the noise. Our rapidly rising $28 trillion national debt is an anchor around the necks of our children and grandchildren. In order to combat inflation, we must reign in federal spending, cut unnecessary programs, and start running our federal budget like we run our home budgets.

Education: Like millions of parents and educators, I witnessed my own son struggle against the pandemic’s educational obstacles. We must recognize that three academic years have been impacted, and we have our work cut out for us to make up for learning loss. Starting now, we need laser-focused, common sense leaders to prioritize the country’s most valuable asset and the inheritors of the future – our children. Any nation that out-educates us will out-perform our economy. As a mother, restoring America’s quality of education is personal to me. As a senator, I promise to fight tirelessly to support parents and educators and help our children regain their momentum to lead the world in education once again.

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Benjamin Griffiths (R)

Voter Integrity

National Security

Gun Rights

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What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Diversity

Education

Economy

We MUST defund planned parenthood. We must accept scientific discovery that states that life begins at conception. We must protect the precious lives of the unborn in the womb. We must reject a normalization of the violence of abortion as somehow good. We must regain our collective conscience as a nation and reject abortion on demand for good.

The three pillars to our future success are what is at stake: our security, our economy, and our children’s education. I know what it is like to return home from a tough year, a deployment. America has weathered the larger storm of the pandemic, and now has a renewed generation of men and women, resilient and ready to rise.

Benjamin Griffiths (R)

Supporting the US Constitution

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

As a small business owner I will support small businesses by reducing taxes and lifting the red tape to starting a business. Government should allow the economy to thrive with very minimal interference.

I appreciate Winston Churchill. His nation, much like Vlodomyr Zelensky,s Ukraine today, faced an incredible and existential threat in the Hitler's Germany but he rallied his nation to achieve victory against him. He was determined, unwavering, and courageous in the face of what many around the globe at that time thought was national annihilation. I believe he was one of the greatest, if not the greatest leaders in the whole of the 20th Century.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

I admire Dr. Condoleeza Rice. She is impeccably bright, level-headed, and distinguished. I especially respect how she overcame the difficult circumstances she experienced early in her life growing up in segregated Alabama, and her lifelong pursuit of excellence inspires me.

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

No.

Integrity and honesty must be held in high esteem for anyone seeking public office. A desire to serve others must be held as a value of anyone really seeks to make the lives of others better.

Integrity, leadership and honesty. We are sent to Washington to represent our constituents, not the other way around. This is why I want to bring my Frontline Leadership to Washington to work on behalf of North Carolinians.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

Honesty, Integrity, and Compassion.

I care about people. I think all laws should work to bring about the "more Perfect Union" that the Constitution speaks of. Every decision I would make and every law I would endorse is informed by these two qualities.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

Integrity, leadership and honesty. We are sent to Washington to represent our constituents, not the other way around. This is why I want to bring my Frontline Leadership to Washington to work on behalf of North Carolinians.

What legacy would you like to leave?

All legislators swear an oath to uphold the Constitution. This is the core responsibility of anyone who holds or seeks to hold office. The majority of members of our congress in my view have abandoned the idea that individual liberties matter.

The dignity of every individual matters. This is why I vigorously oppose abortion. This is why no individual should be told what they should believe or how they should live. I pray that my legacy will be on that rests on this simple but universal truth.

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

I truly believe North Carolina has a purpose. We are First in Freedom and I believe North Carolina is the North Star for our country. I want my legacy to be one where we leave things better than how we found them. Our nation can have a bright future if we have a Senator who focuses on ideas, each other, and not the noise. I want to bring Frontline Leadership to Washington, remain mission focused, and return to the state that I love after two terms.

I was 10 years old when the Iranian hostage situation took place.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

The first historical event that happened in my lifetime that I can remember was the Space Shuttle Challenger explosion in 1986. I was in elementary school at the time.

I worked for Ingles grocery in Saluda, SC. I had the job for roughly two years.

What is your favorite book? Why?

My first job was in my teenage years when I was a babysitter.

If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?

The Bible is my favorite book.

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

I don't think any fictional character is as fabulous as me so I can't say.

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

the "Man of Steel" soundtrack

At times I have fought against the opinions of others that look at my ability and initially appreciate it and then become threatened by it. I have dealt with this response to me more than once.

What do you perceive to be the United States’ greatest challenges as a nation over the next decade?

Most would think I would point to my two tours in combat as my biggest battle. But my biggest battle actually took place when I became a mother to my son, Henk. At 6-months-old he was diagnosed with a type of infant cancer called Neuroblastoma. With my husband Charles, we anchored down in our faith during that difficult time, and the greatest blessing of our lives were the sweet words, “clear margins.” By the grace of God, Henk remains cancer free and a cancer survivor today.

The greatest challenge we face as a nation is the growing threat of the left wing hegemony that has risen to dominance within our colleges and universities, our government, and even within our military. We must protect the Constitution, which by default protects the rights of all Americans. The Constitution is currently being maligned and attacked by a socialist mindset that is disgusted with individual achievement and liberty and if this nefarious doctrine takes hold fully will damage every institution in our country from our government to churches and religious organizations to our children. We must embrace and extoll the values conferred to us by God as recognized by our Constitution.

What are your thoughts on term limits?

I believe our country is suffering from multiple crises. Whether it’s our foreign adversaries, inflation, the disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan it is clear we are facing serious issues that the career politicians in Washington have failed to address. I think when we are looking at winning the 21st century we must look at China and their rising military capabilities and global ambitions. We must take the threat of the Chinese Communist Party seriously, develop a coherent national strategy, and invest in our national security if we are going to put America in the best position to win.

I would vote in favor of it for both houses in Congress even if it meant a shortening of my career as a Senator. If new leaders are not allowed to enter the Senate and the House, then no genuinely new ideas will enter either. I believe a vibrant, strong Republic must bring in new thinkers and different perspectives that can be brought to bear against some of the most difficult challenges our nation faces.

What qualities does the U.S. Senate possess that makes it unique as an institution?

One of the main reasons our government is dysfunctional is because it is full of career politicians who spend decades collecting taxpayer funded paychecks while delivering zero results for their constituents. North Carolina deserves a leader, someone who is there to do the right thing and not cast votes that only extend their political career. Just like the honorable example of President George Washington, a veteran who was the first to set a precedent on term limits, I pledge to serve only two terms in the U.S. Senate. I am on a mission to do the hard work and get the job done for North Carolina.

A US Senator should understand that the Constitution is the premiere governing document of our land and that each vote he or she casts should reflect a determination to vote only for laws that protect it. As any good leader understands, a US Senator should have an awareness that his or her votes can impact the entire country and not just the state he represents. He or she should always keep in view the short term and long term impacts his or her vote will have on the good of the country and all of her 320 million citizens.

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

Our founders created the United States Senate to protect the rights of the states and safeguard minority opinion in a system of government designed to give greater power to the national government. James Madison said it best that the Senate's role was "first to protect the people against their rulers [and] secondly to protect the people against the transient impressions into which they themselves might be led."

The U.S. Senate is a check and balance for other branches of our federal government. The powers and procedures of the U.S. Senate are essential to the working order of our government. For further details, most of the Senate-related clauses of the Constitution are included in Article I.

Not always. There are some Senators that have used their vast experience in government to manipulate the system to work for them and their families and disregard the well being of the nation at large. If Senators place the well being of the nation above their own well being the nation as a whole prospers. If these leaders place selfish ambition and a desire to obtain and maintain wealth and power, the nation as a whole suffers. Currently our land is suffering severely. Our nation is desperate to have leaders who place the good of the nation above their own.

What do you think of the filibuster?

I am running because I believe we must end the era of career politicians collecting taxpayer money while doing nothing to better our country or our state. That is why I made the pledge immediately to honor term limits. Unlike career politicians, I am not beholden to special interest groups or party bosses. North Carolina deserves a frontline leader, and I will fight for them and remain mission focused.

The filibuster must be kept in place. The genius of the filibuster is that it demands a full, unobstructed debate to be held and all of the voices of the Senate to be heard. This process prevents quick, underdeveloped, and even dangerous laws to pass through the Senate without a thorough discussion concerning the bill that is to be made law. It must be maintained as a rule in the Senate.

What criteria would you apply when deciding whether to confirm presidential appointees?

We shouldn’t change the rules depending on what political party is in charge. I believe in keeping the filibuster and keeping the institution of the U.S. Senate as close to the way our founding fathers envisioned.

I utilize the only criteria that I know is prescribed by the oath of office, and that is; "Does this appointee support the principles of freedom and liberty as outlined by the Constitution?" If after careful scrutiny the answer yes then I would vote to confirm. If the answer is no then I would not.

If you are not a current senator, are there certain committees that you would want to be a part of?

While it is important for a president to select their cabinet picks and key officials for their administration, it is equally important to thoroughly vet all nominees. The Senate has the most important job of advising and consent per our Constitution, and I will take that responsibility very seriously. I will prioritize nominations depending on national security needs to ensure our country is always ready in case of a national emergency.

I have served in the US Army for quite some time and I would want to be on the Armed Services Committee.

Is there a particular senator, past or present, whom you want to model yourself after?

As a former intelligence officer and combat veteran, I believe I would be an asset to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, the Intelligence Committee and the Armed Services Committee. I would also be interested to serve on the Appropriations Committee and the Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee.

No.

Tell us your favorite joke.

A current senator I admire is Joni Ernst. Like me, she served our country after 9/11 and I appreciate that she heard the call to serve our country once again in the U.S. Senate.

How would you evaluate a judicial nominee?

I'll pass on this one.

I believe a judge must interpret the law and not attempt to create it. I am most distressed by the Justice Kentanji Jackson Brown's appointment to the Supreme Court. Her judicial activism could damage our land and the credibility of the Court if there were a majority of left leaning Justices that would be appointed. I am running as a candidate for the US Senate to ensure that does not happen.

What kind of relationships would you build with other senators?

Judges must have thorough knowledge of the law, the wisdom to comprehend the nuances and implications of each case, and the ability to deliver fair and just rulings. When looking at judicial nominees, I look for people of integrity, professional competence, judicial temperament, experience, and commitment to public service.

I would always seek to build a friendly and kind relationship with anyone I meet, whether they are a legislator or not. However, I will vigorously oppose those who dismantle our individual liberties in the name of defending them. I would be known as a leader who cares about all people but who attacks anti-Constitutional ideas, ideologies, and institutions.

When I was serving two tours in combat as a soldier, we built teams out of people from all across our great nation - people from virtually every region, ethnic background and faith group to accomplish the mission. The Army taught me how to lead and also how to build consensus. While I anticipate we will have disagreements when it comes to legislation and policies, I promise to always serve with civility and treat senators from both sides of the aisle with the dignity and respect we all deserve as human beings.

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

I will work across the aisles with both parties to accomplishes goals that will benefit the American people.

I would be willing to work with any other Senator in working to pass laws that would serve the best interest of the American People. I cannot in good conscience vote for legislation that I felt undermined the principles of our Constitution.