Mike Woodard, Trinity ’81 and incumbent in the senate race for North Carolina's 22nd district, participated in a town hall Thursday hosted by The Chronicle.
Woodard was a Durham City Council member from 2005 to 2012 and was elected as North Carolina state senator in 2013 for the district that includes East Campus, West Campus and most of Central Campus. Additionally, Woodard has worked at Duke for 27 years, including 20 years as a business analyst in the financial services division.
During the town hall, Woodard spoke about his vision for North Carolina, the contentious House Bill 2 law, police accountability and the importance of the ongoing election.
“We want North Carolina to be a welcoming place for people from all over the country and all over the world," he said. "I’m concerned that in the last few years we have not presented ourselves that way."
Woodard expressed discontent toward the state of bipartisan politics in North Carolina but explained that he thinks the upcoming election will help the state return to passing more reasonable legislation—and less "toxic legislation" like HB2.
He said that HB2 is damaging the state’s reputation, noting that businesses and schools have lost their top candidates for employees and students because of the policy.
“It’s unfair, North Carolina is a very welcoming place,” Woodard said. "The bill is both economically and morally wrong."
When asked about House Bill 972 that adjusted the rules on police body camera footage being available to the public—which Woodard voted in favor of—he explained that the law still ensures accessibility and police accountability.
“It’s about trying to strike the balance between all the different opinions on this, and there is a need to find a way to reduce the obstacles that are in the way of body cam footage being released to those individuals involved," he said.
Woodard also voiced his support for universal voter registration in North Carolina, which would automatically register citizens to vote when they turn 18 years old.
When questioned if provisions such as this and early voting will exacerbate voter fraud, Woodard said that voter fraud is not a significant problem.
He also talked about the presidential race, noting his support for Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.
He said there is “no one more qualified in the history of this country than Secretary Clinton is now” to act as the leader of our country but that “Trump is grossly unqualified.” He added that voting for third party candidates would be a waste of a vote.
“Duke students and more broadly District 22 should support Hillary Clinton for her commitment to education," he said. "She understands higher education, the important role universities and research institutions play, and I don’t think Trump understands those things."
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