Talking about the uniqueness of election 2016. This is the weirdest election cycle of my lifetime. So if some of your listens listeners have thought there are awfully weird. Yeah about 300 million americans and probably 10 billion people around the world are watching this saying sure is strange. And its strange from this aspect. That the president ial election so far seems to be about everything but the issues. At elections, its issues that separate the two candidates and the two parties and this year it seems that issues dont play a role. At least in the campaigns. I still believe theyre important to people in North Carolina and people around the country. And they will play a part in the senate race that im in. I think over 50 of the people in North Carolina believe that jobs and the economy is the i think it is the most important issue. And i think its a huge responsibility for congress to create the architecture to allow growth to happen in our economy and jobs to be created. You know, the major races in the state and a new poll that we commissioned, had the results on just on tuesday of this week. You were the only republican to come out on top. You were ahead. Governor mccrory was not, donald trump one, that you have seen polls represent a roller coaster this year. Ive seen in a two week peri, myself up six and down three. In the same two week period. So theres theres a difficulty identifying what the turnout mold looks like this year Model Looks Like this year. But also ill just take the senate races as an example. If you look back 40 years in election, the winner won with an average percentage of 51. 4 . So for some that believed that we have landslides in North Carolina, yeah, 52 for the winner is historically a landslide. 51. 4 is the average. So we went into this election cycle expecting this to be very close. Expecting it before the election. Its living up to that. You mentioned just a moment ago about the importance of jobs and the economy to people in North Carolina. Research in our polls showed the same thing. Other research we saw just a couple of days ago showed some trends that surprised me. Give you an example. For millennials, the number one issue on their minds was we looked at the upper end of the scale, those who are my campaign older age and older, health care was at the bottom. And at the top was jobs and the economy. I was surprised to see as many young people as that research showed paying attention to terrorism and national security. Well, think about it. These are these are kids that grew up with 9 11 fresh their minds. They grew up understanding terrorism from day one almost. And they have lived it for 16 years. Much like i have. As a member of the intelligence committee. Its hard to separate myself from it. By the same standpoint, they look at health care and over the past five years, they felt the brunt of the Affordable Care act. Theyre the ones that wake up and say dont really need this benefit yet. Not really to put the money out by fining them if they dont have insurance, thats what obamacare did. It theyve watched as their Company Insurance if theyre fortunate enough to be on it has increased on average of somewhere between 22 and 33 annually. And so i think there are concerns as to whether one its affordable today. Two will it be affordable tomorrow and yours and my generation know what we have a promise from america. A promth quite a while. Its called medicare. And it we believe that its intact and will be there. A lot of these millennials are sitting on a lot of college delight now too. Debt right now too. You and your opponent, hillary clinton, donald trump, have their own ideas about college affordability. What sets richard burr apart . Well, ive actually done democrat, joe manchin from west virginia. We muscled through legislation to actually take out of the hands of congress the ability to set what the percentage of Student Loans, the rate was going to be. We tied it to the ten year treasury bond. We actually had help from president obama to do this. He said this was a smart thing to do. David, since 2013, the American People in student Loan Interest payments. Just because of what joe manchin and i did in 2013. Congress had set staithtorially that Student Loans loans would be set at a little over 6. 2 . Today, this year, its under 3. 8 . And that directly goes into the pockets of the kids and their families. So we are making it more affordable. Know say its going to be free, this is nothing free in life. I think we can work to make sure there are credits for those that need it. That we can streamline the application for Student Loans. But unless we can figure out a way to get professors to work for free, buildings to be given to us for their use, somebodys got to pay for it. I dont want to put any more of the burden on americans taxpayers, i dont want to put it on North Carolina taxpayers. Federal government said were going to make this free, theyre going to theyre going to tell North Carolina youve got to maintain what you were doing before in subsidies. Were one of the highest subsidized states in the country for Public Education and we would be punished because other states dont subsidize at all. Im not willing to let the federal government now take over higher education. Weve got 78 institutions in this state. Public and private. That do too good a job. A lot of files, none of us will ever see. Are we safe . Were safe. We are challenged because there is tremendous intent and capability around the world from isil and alqaeda and a number of terrorist groups. But were also the target of cyber terrorism. The attacks on our personal data. The attacks on our intellectual property. The files. Which has been the subject of some conversation lately. And we have to realize that Technology Makes us extremely vulnerable from anybody from a nation state that wants to commit an act to an individualitying in a garage that individual sitting in a garage that wants to create havoc, so we have a pretty big field that we have to defend. Senator richard burr. Democratic challenger Deborah Deborah ross served in the North Carolina house and as the executive director of the aclu. This is her first statewide race and even though its been a tough and dirty race, its also an adventure she has embraced. Ive been to more than 90 counties. And people want a senator whos with things. And that sometimes comes from legislation. And that sometimes comes from having a highly dedicated staff and a senator who cares and listens. And makes things happen. Do you think richard burr doesnt care . I think doesnt listen . I think that richard burr has forgotten who sent him to congress. Why do you think that . And he works that he works for the people. Why do you think that . Hi his votes have not shown an inclination to care about peoples everyday problems. So heres a perfect example. He is voted he has voted more than half a dozen times for provisions that would raise his own pay. For members of congress. Would you not vote for a pay increase for yourself . I think it is perfectly fine. That somebody who has been in a job for 20 years gets a pay increase. But dont turn around and be dont turn around and say that we shouldnt have provisions to enforce equal pay for equal work for women. That is the difference. It is not about whether or not you vote to increase pay. Its what you do for the people you serve as well. Thats the dichotomy. Thats the problem. This has been an ugly race. Ugly. Ugly race. Back and forth. I ads work. Politicians wouldnt use them if they didnt. But are there times i mean ive known you for a long time. Youre a woman of great integrity, are there times you are there times youre embarrassed by your poniards . Im not embarrassed by my ads because my ads are true. And let me tell you about my ads. People love them. I go we go to the bojangles we were very upset when the price went up after labor day. We were all but i mean, we go to places all over North Carolina. And people tell me how much they like my ads. Parents, bring theyre children up their children up and say see thats the lady you saw on tv. To the way we put forward the message and the way i put forward the i the poem of North Carolina. There are outside groups who do ads that i dont have any control over. But i would love to because we should get rid of the Citizens United decision. But my ads, i think have conveyed things in a positive way and shown the way that i will make a difference for the people of North Carolina. Traditionally, history shows us that races for the united post the helms years, are very tight. Elizabeth dole, kay hagan, thom tillis, richard burrs races. The winner may win with 51 of the vote in a two way race. Youve got a three way race. With a libertarian. In this race. It is possible that whoever wins will win with less than 50 of the vote, that 2010 moo ins a majority m majority of the people voted against him. How do you represent 100 of the people if you go into this seat with a majority of the voters having voted for someone else . Well, ive always approached my job as a representative to represent all of the people in my jurisdiction. So thats the whole state of North Carolina. And i i want to help people. I dont have a kind of winner take all attitude about this. When up win you win, your job is to represent everybody and i had that attitude. Ive had republican opponents when i ran for the general assembly. And theyve come to me and asked me to help their families with things. And i did that. Because thats your job to represent all of the people on the core issues that are so important to you, womens issues, minimum wage, the ma whatever it may be, when youve got so many people who feel differently, and are passionate about their different feelings, how do you represent them . Well, i represent people by listening to them. And by hacknologying their values acknowledging their values. Im not here to have a disagreement with people. I they people think that people can have fundamental disagreements but then come together on the things that so heartening to me during this race is that there have been lawyers who have been on the other side of cases for me where the other side of a negotiating table, who have contributed to my campaign. And who are campaigning for me. Because we always resolved our disputes in a civil way. Thats thats the best part of coming together and representing people. You know and we talked about thisau are republican colleagues who i served with who i disagreed with on social issues but weve come together on issues like Domestic Violence reform, where i did tremendous work with representative wilma cheryl from asheville and another representative from pitt county. Come together on comprehensive ethics reform. Come together on making sure that we dont have people and i plan on doing it as your u. S. Senator. Would you work with could you work with President Trump . Well, weve already talked about this. We got a good question on this during the debate. And i think that one of the things that he and i agree on and most of the people in this country agree on, is the need to improve our infrastructure. We have not invested in our infrastructure the way we need to. We need to do that to attract jobs, but we also need theres one thing about an infrastructure job that is just going to help everybody and thats that you cant outsource it. The bricklayers, the pipe fitters. All the different jobs that go into building our bridges and roads our water and sewer systems which we desperately need and weve seen that especially with all the flooding thats going on in gone on in eastern North Carolina. That should be a key bipartisan i want to go back to that yes. You disagree with him on any number of issues. You disagree i think with his character. The way he has allowed his character to play out in his life. How tough would it be for you to serve in the United States senate and the commanderin chief was donald trump . I think that it would be a challenge. But i important that the people of North Carolina have a voice in the u. S. Senate. Particularly on these Kitchen Table issues that matter to them. And so ive been in a lot of situations where ive had to work with people who i have disagreements with. And i can find common ground. Democrat nominee deborah ross. When we come back well hear from libertarian sean pictures of people taking time to vote early in North Carolina. The Libertarian Party seems to almost always have trouble getting serious traction. They were a part of the wral debate for governor but left we would like for you to meet the Senate Nominee of the libertarians. Sean haugh. Now the basics of his platform are no more war at all, and deeply cutting spending. I asked if he were elected. How and what he would do with the massive problems in syria and how the world appears to just be watching hundreds of thousands of people die. I think the first thing we have to do is to stop selling arms to and anybody in there. One of the reasons why the Syrian Civil War is so much worse is pause we keep looking for moderate Syrian Rebels to arm and now there have been at least two major exposes over the summer and fall of of where weve seen that there are two different factions in syria fighting each other. Both supported by the United States. And its all being done on the taxpayer dime. So were not were failing everybody a gun there. And now were just keep pushing pensions more and more. Were in the new policy ideas is to step up our arming of the kurds. Which sounds good on the surface, but that causes all kinds of Foreign Policy problems particularly with our ally turkey as well as we just keep moving closer and closer to confrontation with russia over syria. Why are we why are we renewing the cold war over its very complex. Is it not . Well, it is. And but weve helped make it that complex. By our state of perpetual war. By always trying to use military action to either prop up foreign regimes or remove foreign regimes to which we are supporting or opposed respectively. And that i mean you look at libya for example. Where we removed Muammar Gadhafi who i agree was a bad guy but what has happened since in the vacuum of power since then . Thats just made it another hotbed of civil war, and a safe place for our enemies like isis and alqaeda. So i think that if we remove ourselves from this situation, thats obviously not an immediate solution. But it is one that is going to put us back on the ending the hostilities over there. And ending the threats to the United States. The second thing you mentioned was the spending of washington. Oh yes. As we have seen and continue to see, government has to be funded. Of course. Libertarian, how would you seek to structure that funding differently . Well, i think the main budget cuts that i look forward to get spending under control is basically what i talked budget is spent on our military. And i agree with our president ial candidate gary johnson who we need to do is bring our troops home and focus on having you know, perfect defense of the United States. And not be involved militarily all over the world. We could save a whole lot of money that way. I mean, another big ticket item to look for, defense projects such as you know planes that dont wo, know that cost multimillion dollars each some approaching 1 billion each. That our pentagon experts tell us they dont want. And arent working well. So you know, i think that we can do a whole lot to fete spending under get spending under control by just concentrating on that. As far as domestic spending goes, theres certainly a number of areas that are mere of the federal government. Particularly the departments of Homeland Security and department of education. But overall, i look i look for eliminating bureaucracy and creating more efficiency that way. I have experience working in the va hospital. In durham. Working with medicare and medicaid patients. And i see what they go through. And i see a lot of the bureaucracy they have to go through libertarian sean haugh. The full interviews of all three Senate Nominees can be this election cycle has been punctuated by legal damages to the States Election laws and maps and as we record this program on friday morning, there are still a lawsuit pending over North Carolinas election process. The naacp announced last week it would file a suit claiming Voter Suppression at a of counties specifically cumberland, burr tee and moore. It was filed on monday and a federal judge held an emergency hearing on wednesday. The judge said she was aware there was not much time to act and as always, you can go to the at nc capital section of wral. Com for any updates during the weekend. Wed like the hear from you to hear from you about what you heard tonight. Follow us on twitter or on wral. Com. On the record at wral. Com. On election day. If you havent voted yet. Please do. Have a good weekend. Kirk space the final frontier. These are the voyages of the starship enterprise. 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