Erik Davis, candidate for NC House District 78

Name: Erik Davis

Political party: Democrat

Age as of Nov. 8, 2022: 34

Campaign website: https://erikdavisnc.com/

Occupation: Substitute teacher for Asheboro City Schools

Education: Master’s in Applied Geography from UNCG

Have you run for elected office before? No

Please list highlights of your civic involvement: Volunteering at local churches

What are the three issues that you see as most important to your district and what will you do to address them?

I want to work to pass Medicaid expansion, bringing back tax dollars, increasing access to care and saving lives while doing it. I want education reform, increasing wages and number of positions, while also lowering student-teacher ratios. I want to protect the rights of everybody, including the LGBTQ+ community and women’s societal and reproductive rights.

At a time when costs are rising, state government has a surplus. How should it be used?

The question is a bit vague, but a surplus could be used in a variety of ways, from being placed in a fund for emergencies, to being invested into the economy (incentives for businesses, aid for poor and minority areas and the like), to being spent on basic infrastructure across the state.

Will you vote for Medicaid expansion in North Carolina?

Yes.

What has the legislature gotten right, and what has it gotten wrong, about public education in North Carolina?

I feel the decrease in funding to education and the removal of Master’s pay have been large detriments to the state. We can’t expect people to want to become a teacher, much less a highly qualified one, or move to this state to teach if we constantly underpay, don’t provide adequate funding for assistants, force teachers to pay out of pocket and the like. The current effort to increase wages is welcome, but it doesn’t even match the starting wages from the early 2000s due to inflation.

Should North Carolina change its abortion laws? How?

There should be fewer restrictions on abortion after 20 weeks.

Please add anything else voters should know about your position on the legality or availability of abortion in North Carolina.

A woman’s right to choose should be protected in North Carolina. The Supreme Court erroneously removed that right at the federal level and invested that power to the states. We must protect this right until the federal level can enshrine it.

Should medical marijuana be legalized in North Carolina?

Yes.

What, if anything, should the legislature do to shape curriculum dealing with topics of race, sexuality and gender?

We can’t shy away from our sordid past regarding race relations (from the inception to even current times.) It should be taught and not attacked for supposedly being “Critical Race Theory.” We should also allow those in the LGBTQ+ community to express themselves in a safe manner instead of pretending accepting them is somehow “indoctrinating kids to be gay,” or some variation.

Do you accept the results of the 2020 presidential election?

Yes.