The primary elections are only eight weeks away.  In many cases, the primary election will decide who takes office because there is no opposition in the general election.  For this reason, the time for the medical community to be engaged in these races is now. The NCMS is constantly doing candidate research to stay on top of these important races and we want you to be informed too.  Through the NCMS PAC, the physician’s front-line advocate in the elections process, NCMS members can have a voice in these efforts.

From Congress to the North Carolina General Assembly, we see crowded primary races. In Congress, there are 77 candidates running for 13 U.S. House seats.  For the first time in many years, there are primaries for Governor in both parties.  In addition, the Lt. Governor’s race features candidates of interest in both party primaries.

One of our own members, Senator Eric Mansfield, MD (D-Cumberland), is running in the Democratic primary of the Lt. Governor’s race.  Senator Mansfield was a strong supporter of medical liability reform during the 2011 session.  As a fellow physician, he is an advocate for the medical profession.  In the Republican primary of the Lt. Governor’s race, Rep. Dale Folwell (R-Forsyth) has been a strong supporter of medicine too.  Rep. Folwell is facing opposition from Rep. Grey Mills (R-Iredell), who is an attorney.  During the liability reform debate, Rep. Folwell worked to support reforms advocated by the medical and business communities while Rep. Mills consistently opposed those reforms.   

We also see many competitive primaries in the North Carolina Senate where the results will be important for medicine.  Senator Clark Jenkins (D-Edgecombe), a supporter of medical liability reform, faces a repeat primary contest.  Across the state in Davidson County, Senator Stan Bingham (R-Davidson), a co-sponsor of the medical liability reform bill and Senate Health Committee Co-Chair, needs a lot of support.

The North Carolina House of Representatives will see even more hard-fought contests.  Jim Fulghum, MD, is running for the first time in the Republican primary in Wake County.  As a neurosurgeon and member of the NCMS, Dr. Fulghum understands, and shares, our views. 

In addition to financially supporting candidates that recognize the views of physicians, your NCMS PAC helps keep you updated on all of these races, plus many more.  Our biweekly periodical, the PAC Pulse, is available to all members as a benefit of NCMS PAC membership.  For a small donation, you can receive the PAC Pulse AND help ensure that physician friendly candidates are elected to office.  Please make a contribution, so that you can support these candidates and your entire profession.