Cynthia Wallace. Submitted Image
By Zachary C. Young, Editor-in-Chief
Cynthia Wallace is the Democratic candidate running for the U.S. House of Representatives for North Carolina’s 9th District. She is running against incumbent Dan Bishop, Republican.
District 9 includes all of Anson, Hoke, Richmond, Robeson, Scotland and Union County. The district is also home to the southern portions of Mecklenburg and Moore County.
Wallace is optimistic that the young voting block can swing any election.
“I hope what’s happening in our country right now, with the activism that we have seen, will spur a lot of young people to take that activism and continue it to the polls,” Wallace said.
She urges young voters to elect candidates that will enact change on issues they are passionate about.
Wallace considers addressing student loan debt to be one of her top priorities. She hopes to figure out ways to lower tuition costs, in addition to improving loan-forgiveness programs that are already in place.
“I went to college, but the size of my student loans was not the size of a mortgage. That hinders how you start adulthood. With lower or no debt, this will help graduates buy homes quicker. It will help the economy because when you are not in that kind of debt, you can actually spend,” Wallace said.
Wallace is interested in environmental issues. She plans to be a part of finding a solution for 2030 and 2040 goals regarding carbon emission standards.
“I plan to be in the arena when we are strengthening our Environmental Protection Act. It is important that we are improving the Earth so that is here for us today and for future generations,” said Wallace.
The urban-rural divide is another issue that Wallace plans to address. Regardless of zip code, Wallace wants to see each child have access to a quality education. She vows to push for federal government creation of universal Pre-K.
“The way a child starts definitely impacts their future potential,” said Wallace. She would like to see an increase in teacher pay, as well as improve training that teachers are provided.
Her views on the economy are directed to the middle class. Wallace plans to work on increasing the minimum wage to a livable wage. By raising the minimum wage, she trusts it will help narrow the gender pay gap.
“Two-thirds of minimum wage workers are women. By increasing the minimum wage, we are helping that woman and her family. Which will also help the economy. I will be in the trenches to work on moving this as swiftly as possible,” says Wallace.
Wallace hopes to improve strengthen the Affordable Care Act, mostly by adding a public option. “A public option is what you talk about when you think of Medicare for all,” added Wallace.
Ideally, this would allow someone to opt out of their employer-based insurance. Wallace wants to ensure that health care is provided for more people, especially those with preexisting conditions.
Congressman Dan Bishop was unavailable for an interview.