Source: Editorial Board
North Carolina’s delegation in the next session of the U.S. House of Representatives will consist of seven Democrats and seven Republicans, a fitting split for such a politically “purple” state.
One of those seven Democrats is Valerie Foushee. Foushee has served in the North Carolina General Assembly since 2013, most recently serving as a State Senator in District 23, representing Chatham and Orange Counties. Foushee will continue her legacy of public service in Washington, representing North Carolina’s 4th Congressional District.
Foushee’s public service began when she started volunteering at her children’s school. Her experience inspired her to serve on the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City School Board to advocate for more resources for school children. Foushee was also the first black woman elected to the Orange County Board of Commissioners.
Foushee said her supporters inspired her to run for Congress and said that she saw “an opportunity to advance some ideas that […] we’ve not been able to move in the General Assembly.”
In Washington, Foushee hopes to prioritize protecting reproductive freedom, lowering healthcare costs, and passing common-sense gun laws. Foushee supports codifying Roe v. Wade and said “I think if there is one thing that any human being is in control of, it’s his or her own body. That shouldn’t be different for women as it is for men, women should have the right to determine if they want to bear children. And if they don’t, women should have the right to reproductive healthcare.”
Foushee has a proven track record of standing up against extreme policies in the state legislature and she will continue to be a champion for working families in Congress.
