Twenty-first century policing reform will require increased investment in law enforcement, not defunding it.
Cal Cunningham
We need to hold accountable anyone who has misused power, and put that power to work for the common good. That includes, but goes beyond, police reform.
In the push and pull of Washington politics, Thom Tillis has decided there are things more important than representing North Carolina. He has put his own political interests, and serving the special interests, ahead of North Carolina's interests.
I've, in fact, very specifically said I don't support defunding the police.
We will never address the race-based, systemic barriers to health care, equal housing and education without investing in underserved communities.
North Carolinians are hard-working common-sense, decent and stubbornly independent people.
Our courts and law, our on-going experiment in self-governance, these parts of our social fabric are precious.
Law and order are more fragile than we might think.
Without law, without the social stability it provides, there can't be contracts and deals, there can't be chamber meetings, there can't be good jobs and safe families.
There's really a fundamental political corruption problem that put Washington completely out of touch with the people.
I grew up to believe in public service. It is in the core of who I am.
In the Army, we address a crisis by identifying critical objectives, planning a response, marshaling resources and communicating the plan clearly.
When our country has faced challenges before, we've seen North Carolinians rally around each other.
A few weeks after the planes hit the World Trade Center, I applied for a direct commission in the U.S. Army Reserve and ultimately served three active duty tours, including overseas in Iraq and Afghanistan. Really, my whole family served three tours.
When Soldiers serve, their families serve too.
Pride month is a time for us to celebrate love and recommit ourselves to continuing our efforts to ensure equal treatment for all those who call our state, and country, home, no matter who they love.
In the Senate, I will defend the protections in the Affordable Care Act, and expand health care to more Americans.
A person's safety and quality of life should not be conditioned upon who they love or how they identify.
In the U.S. Senate, I'll fight discrimination everywhere it exists.
The increased calls on law enforcement to respond to substance abuse and mental health issues in their communities have added pressure on law enforcement and highlight the need to also invest in our health system and social services.
Law enforcement must be guardians in our communities, not warriors against our own people.
We should not judge law enforcement's success by the number of tickets and arrests, but by the security and comfort the community feels in the public square.
I think the American people have a lot of questions about the governance of this country.
When we see the corrupting influence of political decision making in our public health professionals, we should ask questions.
I believe in the people of our state and making sure the voices of the people of our state are heard in Washington. And that frankly stands in contrast to some of what we've seen out of Sen. Tillis.
There is an important role for a United States senator as a check and balance on the president of the United States.
We need to statutize what is permissible and what is not permissible. If a law enforcement agent uses a clearly unapproved technique like the knee that was on the neck of George Floyd for over eight minutes, no law enforcement agent thinks that that's right and that officer should be held accountable.
It's clear that the laws intended to allow victims to have their cases heard - including our civil rights laws, our criminal laws and our civil justice laws - too often have the opposite effect. These laws are clearly rooted in a false assumption that those in power can do no wrong.
We should limit qualified immunity and change the standard for bringing cases against officers who violate victims' civil and Constitutional rights.
When law enforcement violates departmental policies or operates outside of its certified training, it should not be insulated from liability to the victims of these breaches.
North Carolinians know what a fair trial looks like. It includes witnesses. It includes documents.
I've been humbled by the strong support and deeply moved by the positive response from folks in every corner of North Carolina who agree we need new leadership.
We saw what Thom Tillis did in Raleigh. He went to Washington and in 2017 again voted for a tax bill that provided massive giveaways to corporate interests and the wealthiest, really capitulating to those corporate interests and his special interest backers. A consistent record in Raleigh, a consistent record in Washington.
It's very personal to me that we get these trade deals right.
This is where I would lodge my deepest criticisms. We have very whimsically been threatening and then backing off of tariffs. The people who are paying the price for the lack of strategy are North Carolina consumers who are paying more for durable goods and North Carolina farmers who don't have markets today.
Tariffs are only one tool in enforcing our global trade policy.
I embrace the idea that we need to make sure that everyone has coverage - that everybody in North Carolina should have access to quality, affordable care.
I support equal rights for LGBT Americans.
I believe Don't Ask Don't Tell is morally wrong, wrong for our military, and counter-productive.
Tillis has been weak on China since he got to Washington.
