♪ >> thank you for joining us for the only debate between the leading contenders for the open u.s. senate seat in north carolina. it is a contest that has garnered national attention. let's meet the candidates for tonight's debate. former chief justice of the north carolina supreme court, cheri beasley is the nominee for the democrats.

she has served on of: a court of appeals and served as a district judge in cumberland county. she is facing off against public nominee ted budd. he has represented 13th district since 2017. he has been a farmer and owns a gun store. thank you for being here tonight. let's go over the rules for tonight's debate. each candidate will have 90 seconds to answer the question. each will have 30 seconds for rebuttal. we will alternate who heads -- who answered each question first. at the end, each candidate will have 90 seconds for a closing statement. judge beasley won the toss which means the first question will go to her. in order to make sure no one gets the first and last, the final closing statement will go to representative budd.

what are your solutions to help inflation, gas prices, grocery prices and other economic issues we are facing as a potential recession looms? your opponent has said you are a rubberstamp for biden policies. would you have voted for all the spending packages proposed by the biden administration? does the biden administration share any blame for these issues and what solutions do you propose? judge beasley: prices are too high. north carolinians are hurting. they are feeling everything from pain at the pump to the cost of prescription drugs and everything in between. we live in the greatest country in the world and people should not have to try to decide between buying groceries and school supplies and high-priced medications. this is our top economic issue. it does not have to be this way. congress can take steps to lower prices. we know that we need to lower

drug prices. here in america we pay more for prescription drugs than anywhere else in the country. we also know we must make sure corporations are not price gouging. we know that corporations are seeing 70 year record profits and using that as a cover for inflation and jacking up prices. congress can stop that but congressman ted budd has not stopped that. he is helping it. he has voted against lowering drug prices and gas prices while taking corporate money from oil and drug companies. it is important we work very hard and fight hard to lower costs because that is exactly what everybody here once in north carolina. congressman budd is not working for us.

>> would you have voted for the spending packages if you were in congress? judge beasley: when we were in the middle of a pandemic and our economy was about to tank, the stimulus did help a whole lot of folks in north carolina. >> did the biden administration share any blame with the inflation issues we have now? judge beasley: i believe the president and congress could work a lot harder to make sure prices are being lowered and congressman budd has been there for six years so he has partly to blame as well. >> you have blamed the biden administration purity economist i have talked to say it was both trump and bided's spending -- and biden's spending. before donald trump left office, the relief bill was approved and signed by president trump. how is this not a bipartisan problem? what do you propose for these economic issues? rep. budd: it goes back to your

first question. i think about what i have seen in traveling around all 100 counties. i think about the secretary i talked to who is about six months away from her retirement. she is wondering if she can afford gas in her car. just a month ago, parents were bowing back clothes. the able -- are they going to be able to afford back-to-school clothes, gas in their car and the power? what is inflation? it is too much money chasing too few goods. when we think about what milton friedman the economist would say. starting in april of 2020 100 joe biden. when we had the crux of the early pandemic, we needed that for the paycheck protection act. we needed it for other things to make sure our economy would stay alive. joe biden went way too far with the american rescue plan.

that was a $2 trillion unnecessary spending plan. your earlier question was what do we need to do. way to encourage energy. not shut down the keystone pipeline like joe biden did. we need to encourage work and make sure we have enough folks who would go back into the workforce and we need to stop over regulating. those are the things keeping the goods from being produced and part of what is driving up inflation. >> you said early 2020 the biden administration. passed by many of your colleagues. is there no blame for your republican colleagues? >> what happened with early covid relief, that was passed unanimously. the $4 trillion or early on spending package. those were big packages that were needed. we did not know what we had with early covid. we realized that is largely behind us and unnecessary spending is what has tipped us over the edge. we needed it over -- we needed early on.

joe biden continues to spend trillions of dollars. going back to milton friedman, that is too much money chasing too few goods and that is leading to the inflation we have today. >> time for rebuttal. 30 seconds. judge beasley: congressman budd is talking about what he has done but he is not in anything. the reality is he has had every opportunity to vote against lowering gas prices. he voted for lowering gas prices. he voted against it. is that a time when he took corporate money for big oil. he has had every opportunity to stand for north carolinians and he has failed to do that. >> 30 seconds to you for rebuttal. rep. budd: what we need to do is stop the bakery and get back to encouraging energy. on day one, joe biden has shut down the keystone pipeline. that killed 10,000 jobs. it encouraged people not to go back into the workforce. they don't want to solve these

problems. they just want to scare people. and the overregulation. people want to take a risk. the biden administration has made it hard whether to small businesses and downtowns or on family farms. sherry beasley would be a rubberstamp for those policies. one >> of the other big issues in this campaign and nationally is abortion. north carolina currently has a ban in most cases after 20 weeks. the broad question. what parameters around abortion do support? you have signed on to a federal bill that would create a national ban in 15 weeks. your opponent has accused you of supporting an absolute ban even in cases of rape, incest or risks to a mother's life. rep. budd: i have always been pro-life. long before i was in congress. i have been consistently there. i have also been about protecting the life of the mother.

i want to save as many unborn lines as possible. i hope you take time to dive into how extreme my opponent is when it comes to abortion. the democrats have signed onto the women's health protection act. the most extreme bill in i just laid of history. complete the out of standards with anywhere in the developed world. the things i support are saving unborn laughs and i think -- saving unborn lives. supporter of abortion at any time. she does that taxpayer appends -- taxpayer expense. if you pull north carolinians, that as well the out of step with where they are. >> let me ask you again. you sign on to the six-week ban but she has accused you of supporting a total ban with no exceptions. would you support that?

>> her position does not make sense because if the democrats are going to sign on for the most radical bill in history, those would be extremists. she wants to be a rubberstamp for. when they put forth the women's health protection act which is an awful bill, i'm going to counter it. i just want to save unborn lives. i went to protect the life of the mother. my opponent has been a rubberstamp for joe biden's policies and she would be a rubberstamp for his policies in the senate. >> want to be clear up your the six-week band is what you would sign onto but would you support a total ban if that was on the table? >> i have always been clear about protecting the life of the mother. the bill you are referring to is about responding to the most radical bill in u.s. history. >> republicans have accused democrats of supporting abortion up until birth and i heard you on the campaign trail you support parameter set forth by ro. what would your ideal law in

terms of weeks allowed in inception and you think it should be codified nationally? judge beasley: i think the fundamental question is who makes the decision for a woman and her family. is it you and your doctor or is it politicians up in washington? i know having been a former judge and chief justice women have a constitutionally protected right to make this decision for themselves with their physician free from government interference. congressman budd has been clear and has said he supports and is that in the charge on an absolute ban on abortion without exceptions for rape, incest or risk to a mother's health. that means for women who have been sexually assaulted, they will be forced to carry the pregnancy to term. for women who have ectopic pregnancy's or just their bodies don't release, they will not be

able to get the life-saving treatment they need which is an abortion and that means women will die. that is unacceptable. i will support the parameters outlined in roe versus wade which provide for protections and restrictions on abortion later in pregnancy and allow them only in the most severe cases, for instance when a woman's life is at risk. i will fight to make sure roe versus wade comes the law of the land. it is the right thing to do and women deserve that kind of freedom and protection. >> just a follow-up in terms of what he is arguing they support abortion up until birth and late-term abortions, how do you respond to the? >> i've been very clear. i support the roe v. wade framework which allows for protection and the restrictions on abortion later in pregnancy so that when abortion happens later in pregnancy that it only happens when there are serious

problems like when the mother's life is at risk. that is what roe tells us. rep. budd: i do prefer this belongs to the state. if the democrats including what miss beasley would clearly support is the most extreme bill in history when it comes to abortion rights, that is the women's health protection act. i'm going to counter that federally. i believe a belongs to the states. i would clarify it is not an numerator in the constitution. it has been dealt with in the supreme court but as a judge she should know that. she has been unclear that -- about her previous statements that she believes in abortion for any time for any reason up until the moment of birth. she wants that at taxpayer expense. >> 30 seconds. roe does not say that.

i believe in protections and restrictions. roe has restrictions for late-term abortion. it happens when women's health is at risk. the bottom line is congressman budd wants to be in between a woman and her doctor. there is no place in the exam room for congressman budd. >> clearly the names biden and trump have played prominent roles in this campaign. the next question is centered on the biden and trump factor in this race. miss beasley, your opponent has been a big chunk of time tying you to president biden. republicans have good-sized you for not appearing with biden officials during north carolina visits. are you avoiding appearing with them? you want president biden to campaign for you and would you be a rubberstamp for the biden administration? judge beasley: i am very grateful and honored to have served the folks here in north carolina for over 30 years as public defender and as judge and

chief justice of the the supreme court of north carolina. i've spent my years in service upholding the rule of law and respecting the constitution. this is foundational not only as who we are as americans but what we expect in our judges put also what we expect in our senators. my role has been that of a judge. what i know is i am asking north carolinians to elect me as the next unit state senator. yes, president biden has been to north carolina. these have all been official visits. we are glad when the president comes to visit. we want him to hear about the challenges in north carolina and meet wonderful people who are here. it is wrong to align me with anybody unless i specifically say what i positions are and i'm glad to talk about my positions because my position support people in north carolina. as i have spoken to folks across the state, they want to know the next senator is going to fight

hard to lower costs, she will keep us safe and she will stand for what is right and lead courageously. >> president biden called tonight and said he wanted to campaign for you next week, would you stand on stage with them? judge beasley: president biden is welcome to be here. he is our president. we want him to meet folks and hear from folks in the state. >> would you want to be with him for that visit? judge beasley: if it is an official visit, we'll have to see if we are available but i am telling you we want him listening to the same folks and talking to them in the state. >> political scientists have argued president trump is a double-edged sword. i have a question for a republican who always voted that way but did not vote for trump in 2020. he wanted to know why should support you if you're endorsed by president trump. what do you tell him about your

affiliation? rep. budd: let's remember that president trump one north carolina toys. let's remember what the economy was like. we have 40 year inflation. under president trump, we had 1.4% inflation. we had record low unemployment and fifty-year unemployment, low unemployment for women, people of color, hispanics. those entering the workforce, the fastest-growing growing wages in history. those are phenomenal things. many of us would like to go back to much of the including the 1.4% inflation. i tell people my style is distinctly north carolinians. i was born here in north carolina come educated in state schools and public high schools. i am a true north carolinians through and through and that is my truck -- my style. what president trump endorsed me for and i don't want away from that even though my opponent is

running away from joe biden's policies, he endorsed me because i am in america first candidate. it led to record low unemployment for women, people of color, hispanics. again, he had a lot of wins in the state including for our economy, including for those at the bottom of the economic pyramid. >> do you think mr. trump should run for president in 2024? rep. budd: i'm going to exclusively focus on this one. it's get on the other side of this and have that conversation. >> i rebuttal for 30 seconds? judge beasley: president trump clearly represents the most extremist policies and ideology. when he came to wilmington, he called me a marxist liberal which is define. the reality is congressman budd has aligned himself with someone who is truly extremist in this race and that is a reflection on

him. folks need to be reminded of that as they are thinking about the clear choice that can be made here in this race. >> do you think president biden should run again in 2024? judge beasley: i don't think he is going to ask me so we will see what happens. >> rebuttal for 30 seconds. rep. budd: i'm honored to have president trump's endorsement but he is endorsing me for the things that led to record low unemployment. he is endorsing me for the thing that led to 1.4% inflation. all my opponent runs away from joe biden will not even being in office, she has endorsed his policies, trillions of spending that have led to 40 year inflation, over 8% and perhaps it is growing now. energy costs seem to be on the rise again. it is tragic what biden has done. the policies that she supports are the policies biden is doubling down on. >> north carolina is no

different to this was this topic -- the topic i received the most about from viewers. i will ask you both unequivocally if you accept the results of the election. what would cause you to not accept the results? in your time -- and your times article says you would decline to acknowledge the results. what you accept the results of the election and if your answer is not yes, what's her stance would cause you concern? rep. budd: look at the north carolina gop. they have done tremendous things to improve voter integrity for the state. whether you are democrat or republican, we need institutions we can trust. i like to have this rule of thumb i believe it should be easy to vote but hard to cheat. i can clarify if you like but why wouldn't i unless somebody has other ideas, why wouldn't i accept the results of the 2022

election? >> so yes? rep. budd: of course. >> is joe biden the legitimately elected president of the united states? rep. budd: i don't like a what biden is doing at 1600 pennsylvania. he is the president. unfortunately he is destroying our country. he has 70% of the people saying we are on the wrong track. >> do you stand by your vote not to certify the 2020 presidential look twirled college vote from now president biden? rep. budd: the core of that vote was to inspire more debate. debate is healthy for a democracy. that is what it led to. we did not have the votes to overturn it. having a debate was a healthy thing. i do standby that vote. >> the budd campaign has accused you of not accepting the 2020 results in your own campaign.

how do you respond to the and will you accept the 2022 results? judge beasley: i will except the 2022 results. it is outrageous to compare congressman budd's denial of the 2020 election to my request for a free and fair recount and legal recount to make sure every vote was counted. the reality is in 20 for the election, congressman budd said just patriot stamping out -- standing up. that is what he called the mob that stormed the capital that injured and killed police officers and left americans for dead. with all the violence, for him it was just patriot standing up. he refused to vote to certify the 2020 elections and even voted against securing and protecting future elections. he continues to spread the big lie of the 2020 election.

you can see he is still waffling about whether or not he is going to accept their elections for this race. i have been a former judge. the reality is we know elections are fair and administered fair in north carolina. there is no real cause for concern. it is important to follow the constitution. important to follow the rule of law. what i asked for the last time was a fair, legal recount. once we sell the results, we were glad to concede. that is different from what happened with congressman budd. that time of election denial is dangerous for this country. >> 32nd rebuttal. rep. budd: there is a bit of a context challenge here because i have denounced violence from day one whether it is at washington, d.c. or the riots that my opponent was encouraging across our state and country in 2020. i believe whether it is at washington, d.c. or downtown

raleigh or downtown charlotte, i'm going to denounced violence. i would encourage my opponent to do the same thing. i want to make it easy to vote and hard to cheat. >> 30 seconds for a rebuttal. judge beasley: it is absolutely not true i have been encouraging riots. i have served as a judge in a north carolina for over 20 years. i have upheld the rule of law. i would never encourage rioting and congressman budd knows that and it is important we are going to -- we have a senator who is willing to tell the truth. both carolinians deserve the truth about all of these issues that are very important to them. >> the next question will focus on immigration and the border. how would uss the situation on our southern border currently? nbc news reports the biden white house is considering an emphasis on the immigration system after the midterms. what is your specific plan on changes you would support and you think congress needs to pass?

judge beasley: washington has dropped the ball on immigration. republicans and democrats agree our immigration system needs fixing. we must secure our border and reform the system. we can pass policies that reflect our values to keep communities safe and build a strong economy and make sure we are upholding our american values and the american dream but let's be clear. there are some folks who should not be in this country. reform means we absolutely must secure the border. it also means we should make available to farmers visas so they can have the agricultural help they tell me they need. we also must have a clear pathway to citizenship.

since republicans and democrats agree, why hasn't something been done? politicians like congressman budd are doing nothing to address this crisis. we need real solutions. the folks who are being heart are our small business people and farmers. they are the ones speaking with one voice we need solutions. congressman budd has been in congress for six years. what makes us think he is going to do something in the next six? >> would you adjust -- would you assess the situation at the border a crisis? judge beasley: we need immigration reform and the border needs to be fixed. we absolutely must secure the border. it is the right thing to do. the only th way to truly ref immigration -- the only way to truly reform immigration is to secure the border. >> is it a crisis? judge beasley:judge beasley: it is unfair to all of us that the border is not secure and it is unfortunate we see migrants and immigrants used as pawns in an

issue where folks who have been elected need to come to a solution. we have to secure the border. speaking in the way of sending migrants here and there is not the way to solve this very critical issue congressman budd has had every opportunity to address. >> you have made this a focal point in your campaign. talking about fentanyl coming across, chaotic open borders as you called it. what is your plan to help the situation at the border and when would you consider it secure? rep. budd: i would like to congratulate my worthy opponent of adopting the concern for the border. i have not heard that before. what i've seen in multiple trips to the border is she has clearly supported his policies. we've had millions come across the border illegally. 500,000 individuals since joe

biden has been in office. the number is growing on the terrorist watch list from some of the most dangerous countries around the world. while i was down there in the pickup truck, the national border patrol council endorsed me because i know they -- that i support them. we're looking at construction material which is just laid there since january 20 when biden was inaugurated. vital construction equipment, just sitting there since biden has been inaugurated. it stopped. they just arrested two cartel members coming across, and they said we need to build this wall but what we really need is an administration that has our backs. right now, they said, we don't have an administration that has our back. whether it is law enforcement there are here, i'm going to have their back. what happened in california when

they put up a wall around san diego? the reduction of illegal crossings was over 90%. that's what we need to do. >> are you still in support of the trump wall? rep. budd: i don't care what you call it, it is a large part of the solution. irs agents, which my's opponent -- opponent would support, the inflation reduction act, it's got 87 thousand irs agents. i think we need 87,000 more border agents. it's going to take an administration that has law enforcement's back at the border. judge beasley: the bottom line is that actions speak louder than words. the congressman has done nothing on this issue to work across the

aisle to get this fixed. he is talking about irs agents when the bottom line on that is that his company, after stepping -- stiffing farmers, failed to pay their taxes, and that's not right. rep. budd: i think she is referring to a publicly traded company, obviously she is desperate for some facts and she should talk with some fact checkers on her own team. i am talking about irs agents because i think that is a ms. priority. we need to have more border agents at our border. yes, we need to finish the wall. when we put up legislation, we would get zero democrats support. i have a long history of working across the aisle and i would love to do that with issues at the border.

there's a few reasonable folks on the others that i would like to work with. judge beasley: it has not been part of any legislation about irs agents. >> this came up yesterday, the biden administration announced he would pardon people convicted of simple marijuana convictions. do you agree with this decision and what is your ideal loan terms of legalization of marijuana in any form, if at all? rep. budd: i'm not a supporter of legalization, especially for recreational marijuana. if someone can prove to me there is a medical case marijuana, we can have that discussion. but what you see with this is just -- the conversation we just had a moment ago was about illegal drugs, human trafficking, coming across our borders and sent by the cartels.

they're making money hand over fist at the expense of americans and especially young men 18-45 years old who are dying because of what is coming across our border. in one traffic stop, there was enough at no in that stop to kill 250,000 people. why would our president, whom i component -- my opponent would be a complete rubberstamp for, want more to be coming across our border? >> so you do not support pardoning these individuals in changing the law at home? rep. budd: i think it sends a very bad message to her children. why would you want to give amnesty to those who have encouraged breaking our laws? i think it is bad all the way around. judge beasley: i have not seen a full report of what the president intends, but i think it is worth looking at, for sure.

and i know that one of the ways in which, as i think i understand it, he is talking about low-level offenses of marijuana. that he is not talking about fentanyl. congressman budd has had every opportunity to fund law enforcement and part of that would been addressing the opioid crisis. i have been clear even as former chief justice of the supreme court that i support legalizing cannabis. there is a great opportunity as we think about ways in which to reform the current justice system to allow, to address for disparities in sentencing and also to get people back to work. a lot of employers right here in north carolina want to know that workers can get back to work, they want -- they don't want criminals, they want folks with

-- to get back to work. i also know there is a real opportunity for our farmers to be able to diversify their crops. there are a whole host of reasons that legalizing cannabis can work area well here in north carolina. >> do you mean medicinal or recreational or both? judge beasley: both. rep. budd: one of the things driving inflation is a worker shortage. we need more people. we need to bring more people to serve and help on our forms. we need people to drive trucks, we need people to work in warehouses, to be the next generation of folks who can make this country great again. so many of them cannot even pass a drug test. when a party wants to eliminate and ban menthol, now they are trying to legalize recreational marijuana. and encourage that for our young people. i think that is completely the wrong direction.

judge beasley: cannabis is legal in lots of states, and we have to think about where we are as a country, as a society. it is important for people to be able to get back to work. there are a host of reasons why we should legalize cannabis. i look forward to seeing more about this proposed rule are the president, but it important that we stand firm in understanding the benefits of legalizing cannabis and what it can do here in north carolina. >> you alluded to part of the next question, it will focus on a couple of the ads our viewers are seeing a lot of. i want to get both of you the opportunity to respond to some of these ads. one case where a murderers case was vacated. why are those ads unfair and incorrect? judge beasley: i have not seen

those, but i have certainly heard about them. the reality is, congressman budd and his republican allies are spending millions of dollars to attack my judicial record. these are a distortion, some of the ads came down early on and never completely not true. it's a sense of desperation to spend that kind of money to make up these kinds of stories and i guess they know we really can win this race and they can lose. but it seems to me that the voters here north carolina really do care a whole lot about integrity. they want to know that the next senator is going to be truthful with them about what is happening. these ads are not true, and it is a real distortion and real disservice to folks here in north carolina. my and in particular around biotech is true, about congressman budd's family that

owns a seed company and that left farmers and others holding the bag while taking $10 million for themselves and filing bankruptcy thereafter. that is wrong, and that is an issue of integrity. i know that what congressman budd is doing is not working for north carolina. >> i will let you start with your 90 seconds. rep. budd: i think she is talking about some publicly traded company in the early 2000's that i never even worked for. she has thrown out indictments for sex offenders. don't take my word for it. they have supported her but now they have supported me. the north carolina troopers association once supported ms. beasley and now they are supporting me. the police benevolent association once supported ms.

beasley and now they are supporting me. i would just like to say, don't take my word for it, campaigns are tough, i get it, but at the same time, we want to be truthful. so why don't we trust these organizations which really know ms. beasley and they know me, and they decided to endorse me. judge beasley: this is not just some publicly traded company. this is a budd family company, and it seems to me, to renounce responsibility for what happened , when people are suffering and left holding the bag is absolutely wrong. i'm very grateful i've been endorsed by sheriff's across the state, many of whom i worked with over the years as a judge, holding violent offenders accountable and keeping our communities safe. these are trustworthy relationships and i'm very thankful that we are in a place where we can stand on what is

really important for folks in north carolina and we will also stand on the truth. rep. budd: those that know ms. beasley and those that know me, the north carolina fraternal order of police, the north carolina troopers association, they once endorsed her. by and large, these are statewide organizations, and now they are supporting me. so i encourage beers to go on their website. look at their history, including throwing out indictments for sex offenders. again, i would take their word for it and not ms. beasley's. >> the next question about crime and guns, you talked extensively on the campaign trail about crime, how neighborhoods have turned to battlefields as you called it on the campaign trail. what is your plan to combat that and do you support any kind of gun reform at all? rep. budd: the goal is to

protect our second amendment while keeping guns out of the hands of dangerous criminals. we have to keep firearms out of the hands of those. again, i think that's what we need to do there. with crime, don't connect it just to what is happening in our neighborhoods. i connected to the border as well. what law enforcement is telling me is at 72 hours from crossing our border, that fit no, those drugs, those cartel members are right here in our neighborhoods. sheriff's, law enforcement individuals are coming up to me from around the state. they say every single county in north carolina is now a border county because of joe biden's policies, and those policies are policies that ms. beasley would support and that leads to the chaos at the border, that leads to the chaos in the neighborhoods. we have to treat cops like the

heroes that the r. my opponent has done fundraising as a leader of the defined the police movement. that sends a bad signal to our law enforcement. that's why organizations that once supported her or now supporting me. >> you have said you will defund the police. your opponent continues to call you soft on crime. judge beasley: i have served as a judge for two decades and as chief justice, i have worked with law enforcement, i have held violent offenders accountable. my cases have been upheld to 98%. and i created the first human trafficking court here in north carolina. the first thing we absolutely must do is fund the police. i do not support a finding the

police and i don't raise money for supporting defund the police. we must find the police to make sure they have resources they need to keep themselves in our communities safe. we also must invest in community-based violence intervention programs to stop the cycle of violence. congressman budd, who talks about being a friend of the police, on four separate occasions voted against funding for police here in north carolina to the tune of more than $32 million. talking about crime, when the folks who were writing the capital who stormed an endangered hundreds of law enforcement officers who were injured and killed, congressman budd is really all talk. he is not trying to keep us safe. he's just talking. actions really do speak louder than words. congressman budd is not working for north carolina. rep. budd: i been very clear to

denounce violence in all its forms, whether it's just around the corner here in raleigh and rights or whether it's in washington, d.c.. i believe that we need justice everywhere. we need to protect the second amendment while keeping firearms out of the hands of dangerous individuals. one thing i did was support the national criminal background check service and i voted to fund more to upgrade the database so we know who the dangerous folks are, including those that are mentally adjudicated and we keep them out of their hands. judge beasley: i certainly agree with the bipartisan legislation that was passed on gun safety. it's a great start, and we do have to do more. centers and law enforcement supported this legislation and congressman budd voted against

it. he also voted against funding them and did he think the heroes at the capitol who were injured and killed by the smile that he called patriots, were those law enforcement heroes and did they also deserve protection and the funding? he does not speak consistently with how he acts. >> i want to ask a foreign affairs question, especially with the news last night out of washington. last night president biden referring to russia saying the risk of nuclear armageddon is the highest since the cuban missile crisis. trouble continues with chronic and jet -- with china and just this week north korea sent a missile over japan. what concerns you most about foreign affairs and what should the u.s. be doing about it, if anything? judge beasley: my husband and i raised our twin sons in fayetteville at fort bragg and we have lots of friends who have

been in communities with military families and of the sacrifices they make, and the impact it has on our communities. i'm so deeply sorry about the atrocities we are seeing in ukraine and how those folks over there are suffering, and it is just wrong. i know it is really important that we continue to stand with our allies and it is important to presti sanctions on russia and hold them accountable. we cannot have nuclear war, we just can't. that's why it is important that this country remains the leader of the world. that's why it is important that we hold russia accountable. that's why it is important that we make sure that china is accountable for its human rights violations, but also keep a watch on what is happening with him on their nuclear effort, and every other state or nonstate across the world. it is imperative that our national security folks keep us

advised of what is happening, because we really have to keep abreast whether we're talking about iran or anywhere else. global security really does rely on what we do here in north carolina. >> do you agree that is the cloak -- closest to armageddon since? ? the cuban missile crisis? judge beasley: i know we have to be steadfast, we have to be vigilant and tough. we do have to make sure we are creating policies that don't sacrifice who we are and jeopardize our own national security. congressman budd talks a lot about national security, but he has done nothing. he praises putin, one who is putting ukraine in danger, and it is just wrong. rep. budd: so we have six major installations here, the second largest industry in our state, it is so important to us, but beyond that, we need american

strengths to prevent these problems, so that joe bad -- joe biden on a bad night doesn't make more foolish and irresponsible comments like he did just the other night, if not last night. this started back in afghanistan about 14 months ago. our hearts were broken when we lost 13 marines because of joe biden's botched withdrawal from afghanistan. that signaled to the world that america was not going to be strong, it was going to be weak. so not only did that cause problems in ukraine and russia, that cause problems with iran, because problems with north korea, testing and intermediate range missile, that cause problems with china being aggressive and saber rattling in the south china sea toward taiwan. so the problems with being weak as biden is and as ms. beasley would double down on the policies of joe biden, that leads to these other problems. these things should have never, ever happen.

laying them at the feet of an irresponsible joe biden for endangering us, even with his comments last night. >> you don't agree with his assessment? rep. budd: i don't. those are things to keep to oneself, and you work to prevent it, but you don't need to make loose comments like that. you need to be very careful as president or as the next u.s. senator with how you speak about international relationships. judge beasley: the signal to the world came under president trump as he was cozying up to putin and knowing that russia was interfering in our elections, and also now we see what he has done to ukraine. the real question of democracy. with congressman budd aligning himself with donald trump, i think about threats to democracy and that certainly is one of them. we can't trust congressman budd to do what he needs to do to keep us safe.

north carolina. rep. budd: under the prior president, not only was inflation at one point 4%, you could also buy groceries and gas in the same week. iran ran was in check. putin and russia were in check. china was in check. and so was north korea. so again, regardless of what you think about the prior president, we were much more stable, including the abraham accords in the middle east, and building great relationships with other middle eastern countries with our ally, israel. we need to be america strong where good things happen, not food in week -- that speaks to the international chaos we are seeing right now. >> health care will always be a big issue for everyone. this question comes from several viewers, what do you support in terms of the future of health care, in terms of medicare and the medicaid gap and robbing the future of the affordable

affordability? rep. budd: i want to begin by fully supporting any scenario that leads to low-cost, high-quality health care for all individuals. what we see with the bernie sanders type approach to medicare, medicare for all, which would destroy what our seniors have and what they work for, it would destroy a workable system where we are in a country were 80% of individuals are getting their health care from a good, high paying job with good benefits. that's where people need to get theirs from, not some sort of medicare for all scenario. we need to have transparency, choice that leads to low-cost and high-quality for all individuals. that is the framework that i would support. >> if you would continue to vote to repeal the affordable care act? rep. budd: it has been 10 or 12 years, the individual mandate

has already been repealed. i would look at anything that makes life better for us here in north carolina. people call my office each and every day and say, how can i save my obamacare premiums that are going up and up when it is more than my family makes? it is ridiculous, it hasn't worked. anything i do for health care will make things better for health care in north carolina. judge beasley: i'm a mom of twin sons, and we knew from the moment of their birth that they had medical conditions that will require lots of surgeries and lots of treatment. just imagine being a new mom and being happier than ever and also very tired, but then finding -- fighting insurance companies. we are still fighting insurance companies to make sure our sons can get the care they need, like so many other families in north carolina.

and it doesn't have to be that way. we certainly know that it is important to have the expanded aca with a public option, and allowing people to be able to have pre-existing conditions covered, which congressman budd doesn't want, and also making sure medicare can negotiate prices down to include covering generics as well. there are over a million diabetics in north carolina. while some of them can be covered and insulin cap, some folks can't, and everybody north carolina needs that. congressman budd has voted against capping the cost over four different times. health-care costs are way too expensive and it really is dipping into everyday people's lives. we need someone we can count on. >> do you support at all

medicare for all? judge beasley: i support expanding the aca with a public option. i hate that north carolina is one of the 12 states and country that has not expanded medicaid. more than 500,000 people in the state will have medical coverage. we need to do what is right by north carolina. i support expanding the aca with the public option. rep. budd: that was quite a sidestep because the way she speaking about the public option would destroy the benefits for our seniors who have worked their whole lives to get there. again, that is very dangerous, because economically it would be unsustainable if the rest of the population was rolled into what our seniors rightly deserve. we have so many friends that need insulin on a multiple times daily basis. we need to be able to negotiate with -- about all drug prices.

it would allow innovation to continue and not just a few winners and losers when it comes to drugs. judge beasley: folks need health care. i'm traveling all across our 100 counties and folks talk about the pain at the pump, the cost of prescription drugs and access to health care. so many people, particularly our rural communities, cannot have access to health care, or the cost. this is cost prohibitive, and is just not right. >> comparable last full question, related to issues of social security and entitlement programs. what do you support in terms of future social security and what would you tell a young person and future generations about what they should expect? judge beasley: i believe that seniors deserve to retire in

dignity. folks have made quite a contribution to north carolina, its right thing to do. we need to make sure that social security is stable, that will allow medicare to also cover hearing and vision and dental, and that diabetics who are living here north carolina can have their expenses cap. congressman budd has been clear that he is not going to at all adhere to these policies that people here in north carolina expect. he's voted against lowering the cost of drugs, while also taking corporate pack money from big pharma. in my mind, that really does infringe on where people are and what they deserve. he also supports destabilizing social security and punishing widows as well as medicare. we need to make sure that

seniors get what they deserve. if we have the right kind of senate, young people can count on that as well. >> how do we go about preserving social security? judge beasley: how would we say to folks, you paid into this, you deserve to retire in dignity. we can absolutely do this and make sure folks have what they deserve. secure social security in a way to make sure that folks who pay and can get what they need and what they deserve. rep. budd: i want to say to all those who are nearing receiving benefits are who -- or who are on benefits. people say will you protect social security, medicare and benefits? not just those who are on it, but those who are near to receiving it. i have not, nor will i touch those benefits for those receiving them or who are near to receiving them.

she talks about destabilizing, let me tell you what destabilizes social security. that is inflation. forty-year inflation that joe biden has given us. we had 1.4% under the prior administration. the best thing we can do is get folks back to work and get folks paying into this so that not only will they be able to receive it, but our seniors are receiving it, it will be safer them for the duration of their lives. the worst thing we could do is allow joe biden's policies to continue. those would be double down on and rubberstamped under ms. beasley. let's get good paying jobs that pay in and stabilize it for the current seniors and also be there for them and they can protect that for the future. >> do you support privatizing or getting rid of it?

rep. budd: that is legislation i have never looked at. judge beasley: congressman budd does support doing away with social security or at least capping it for a five-year term, but it is wrong for seniors and for hard-working young people who are paying into the system and deserve to also be able to retire with dignity. talking about destabilizing, you can't on one hand say you want to stabilize and then be taking orbit pack money. it is disingenuous and people can see through that. rep. budd: the worst thing we have right now is for your inflation from joe biden. those are policies she would absolutely support. it throws the numbers off so within a few years social security would not be able to pay for those who are near term to receiving it. we need to lower inflation, rollback regulation and grub the -- the american economic engine.

it's not going to happen under joe biden and it won't happen under ms. beasley. >> do you support keeping the filibuster or no? judge beasley: eliminating. rep. budd: keeping it. >> it is time for closing statements. each candidate will have 90 seconds. judge beasley: thank you also much for being here this evening. my grandfather left alabama with $.76 in his pocket, with the dream prince family to have a better future. my husband and i are the proud parents of twin sons, who are working so hard for the american dream, like so many families here north carolina. what this is really about is you and your family and who will work for you? we need to have safe communities. we need to support our farmers and small businesses.

we need to make sure there is an advocate fighting for our rights in the senate. and we need to make sure that people can live a safe, healthy and productive life. we need good paying jobs and a strong economy and we absolutely must lower costs. congressman budd won't do any of that, because he hasn't. he hasn't voted to support law enforcement, to keep our communities safe. he won't support lowering the cost of prescription drugs and he will not support our farmers or protect our rights. north carolina deserves the senator who will represent all of us. i been so honored to serve for the last nearly 30 years, my commitment is to serve you and serve you well. thank you. rep. budd: again, thank you for

hosting this spirited conversation. about 65 hop 70% of north carolina's -- we talked a lot about joe biden. joe biden is on the ballot on november 8, and he goes by the name this year of sherry beasley. she would be an absolute rubberstamped for everything that has led to this country being on the wrong track, whether that's inflation and having to choose between groceries in your power bill or back-to-school close for your kids. you having to make those tough decisions because of joe biden's policies and what she would support. when it comes to crime and fit no, human trafficking, it is all connected, and those are policies she would do everything that joe biden has done, leading

to this runaway chaos. perhaps you are concerned about education and you just want to -- want a say in your kids education. joe biden's administration is calling parents mastic terrace. we could bring a stop to this and i would like to ask for your prayers and your support and your vote on november 8, because joe biden's policies are on the ballot and i'd like to bring a stop to that. that's why i'm running, to make your life better. god bless you, and good night. >> that does it for our u.s. senate debate. don't forget, the voter registration deadline is october 14. early voting starts six days later on the 20th and runs through november 5 and election day is november 8. thanks for tuning in, have a great night.