As the primary election draws near, Host Frank Stasio leads a series of conversations with candidates running to unseat Republican incumbent Renee Ellmers in North Carolina's 2nd District. Ellmers declined to come on the program.
Conservative radio talk show host Frank Roche is challenging Ellmers in the Republican primary. Roche opposes Ellmers' views on immigration, which include a legal path to citizenship. He also hopes to buckle down on federal debt by repealing the Affordable Care Act and limiting other entitlement programs.
And on the other side of the aisle, candidates Clay Aiken, Keith Crisco and Toni Morris compete in the Democratic primary.
Aiken is best known for his appearance on American Idol and subsequent singing career, but he is also an advocate for special needs children. Frustrated with political gridlock, Aiken pledges to use his status as an independent outsider to encourage legislators to reach across party lines.
Democrat Keith Crisco is a retired businessman who spent most of his career as the president and chairman of Asheboro Elastics Corporation. He also served as North Carolina's commerce secretary for four years under Governor Bev Perdue. He hopes to focus attention on addressing issues of unemployment and the state of the North Carolina economy.
Toni Morris is a licensed professional counselor who works with children and adults in the Fayetteville area. She lost the 2012 Democratic primary to Steve Wilkins, but is running again with the goal of focusing attention on education, unemployment and the state's military community.
