North Carolina — 9th District

Richard Ojeda

Protects VA workforce and veterans' benefits

Ojeda, a 24-year Army veteran who spent 15 years stationed at Fort Bragg, makes protecting veterans and military families the central pillar of his campaign. He strongly criticizes Hudson for supporting federal spending cuts and DOGE-led actions that reduced VA personnel and healthcare access.

• Protect and improve VA healthcare, pensions, and disability benefits.
• Oppose federal efforts and legislation that eliminate VA workforce jobs.
• Expand mental health counseling and suicide prevention programs for veterans.

“Protecting veterans and military families is as personal as it gets. I got into this race because I watched Richard Hudson stand by while Donald Trump and Elon Musk gutted the VA through DOGE and pushed a bill that cut thousands of VA jobs.”

“Richard Hudson calls himself the “veterans’ representative” but he votes to tear down veterans at every turn.”

Richard Hudson

Supports military funding and defense reauthorization

Hudson highlights military families and veterans as key priorities on his platform and regularly votes in favor of national defense spending bills. He emphasizes his legislative service representing Fort Bragg and military constituents in North Carolina.

• Lists Veterans and Military & Soldiers among core issue priorities on his official campaign platform.
• Voted Yea on the Servicemember Quality of Life Improvement and National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025 (H.R. 8070).
• Voted Yea on the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024 (H.R. 2670).

Richard Ojeda

Raises minimum wage and cuts working-class taxes

Ojeda advocates for tying the minimum wage to the cost of living and making the first $45,000 of income completely tax-free for workers. He supports repealing 'Right to Work' laws and increasing corporate and billionaire taxes to support working families.

• Tie the federal minimum wage to the cost of living.
• Make the first $45,000 of worker income tax-free.
• Repeal 'Right to Work' laws and crack down on corporate union-busting.

“One of my top priorities is tackling the affordability crisis by tying the minimum wage to the cost of living so anyone working 40 hours a week earns a true living wage.”

“I also support making the first $45,000 of your income tax free to put real money back into the pockets of working people.”

Richard Hudson

Cuts taxes and reduces business regulations

Hudson promotes conservative, pro-growth economic principles focused on tax reductions, deregulation, and reining in federal spending. He signed the Taxpayer Protection Pledge committing to oppose any net tax increases.

• Signed Americans for Tax Reform's Taxpayer Protection Pledge to never increase taxes.
• Advocates cutting taxes and reducing regulatory constraints on businesses to foster job growth.
• Voted Yea on major budget reconciliation and debt limit legislation like the Limit, Save, Grow Act of 2023.

“As a solid conservative, Richard is certain of one thing: Washington has a spending problem, not a revenue problem.”

“He is committed to conservative, pro-business principles that will help create jobs: cutting taxes, reducing excessive regulations and fully funding worker retraining programs at our community colleges.”

Richard Ojeda

Expands Medicaid and codifies Roe v. Wade

Ojeda views healthcare as a fundamental right, calling for Medicaid expansion, caps on prescription drug prices like insulin, and protection for rural hospitals. He strongly advocates codifying Roe v. Wade and protecting access to birth control and prenatal care.

• Expand Medicaid and prevent federal healthcare cuts.
• Cap prescription drug costs and hold Big Pharma accountable.
• Codify Roe v. Wade and defend reproductive healthcare rights.

“Nobody should go bankrupt because they got cancer. I will expand Medicaid, lower costs, and make sure healthcare is based on need, not net worth.”

“I will codify Roe v. Wade, protect the right to choose, and defend access to birth control, cancer screenings, and prenatal care.”

Richard Hudson

Opposes abortion and federal healthcare expansion

Hudson is staunchly pro-life, supporting legal protections for unborn children from conception to natural death. As a former member of the House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee, he opposes government-run healthcare expansions.

• Supports legislation protecting life from conception until natural death.
• Defends partial-birth abortion bans and opposes euthanasia legalization.
• Served on the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health.

“Richard is 100% Pro-Life and fights for legislation which protects life from conception until natural death.”

Richard Ojeda

Raises teacher pay and protects public schools

Ojeda supports defending the U.S. Department of Education and passing the Pay Teachers Act to establish a national minimum pay scale of at least $60,000 per year. He pledges to secure federal funding for rural schools and prevent culture-war politics in classrooms.

• Pass the Pay Teachers Act to set a national teacher pay floor of $60,000.
• Protect federal funding for public education and rural school districts.
• Oppose dismantling the U.S. Department of Education.

“Pass legislation like the Pay Teachers Act and raise the national pay scale to at least 60k per year.”

“I will fight to stop Washington politicians from dismantling the Department of Education because strong public schools are the foundation of every community.”

Richard Hudson

Restricts transgender participation in women's sports

Hudson supports restricting school athletic participation based on biological sex at birth and previously served on the House Education and the Workforce Committee.

• Voted Yea on the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act of 2025 (H.R. 28) prohibiting biological males from competing in women's sports programs.

Richard Ojeda

Ends gerrymandering and passes John Lewis VRA

Ojeda makes banning partisan gerrymandering a high priority, arguing redistricting maps in North Carolina dilute Black and brown voting strength. He supports passing the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act to restore federal oversight.

• End partisan gerrymandering to protect minority voting representation.
• Pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act to restore federal voting oversight.

“You show me a gerrymandered congressional district, and I will show you a community of color that has been disenfranchised and silenced.”

“We must also pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act to restore federal oversight and stop discriminatory voting changes before they take effect.”

Richard Hudson

Requires voter proof of citizenship

Hudson favors voter integrity standards, supporting federal legislation requiring documentary proof of citizenship to register for federal elections.

• Voted Yea on the SAVE Act (H.R. 22) requiring proof of citizenship for federal voter registration.
• Voted Yea on the No Rogue Rulings Act (NORRA of 2025 / H.R. 1526) limiting federal court injunction powers.

Richard Ojeda

Supports due process and citizenship pathways

Ojeda advocates for reforming the immigration system through legal pathways to citizenship that include background checks and employment history. He emphasizes restoring due process and stopping aggressive enforcement tactics against immigrant communities.

• Restore due process and eliminate masked enforcement actions.
• Support DACA and pathways to citizenship for noncitizens with background checks.

“As the grandson of a Mexican immigrant, I also believe we must restore due process and fix an immigration system that has lost its moral compass. Masked agents disappearing people off the streets must end.”

Richard Hudson

Supports border wall and strict enforcement

Hudson emphasizes securing the southern border with physical walls and technology, restoring policies like 'Remain in Mexico,' and deporting noncitizens who commit crimes.

• Complete physical border wall construction and technology infrastructure.
• Reinstate the 'Remain in Mexico' policy.
• Voted Yea on the Laken Riley Act (S. 5) to detain unauthorized immigrants arrested for theft or burglary.
• Voted Yea on the Secure the Border Act of 2023 (H.R. 2).

Richard Ojeda

Protects benefits and taxes billionaires

Ojeda vows to defend Social Security against privatization schemes or benefit cuts, opposing any raise in the retirement age. He proposes removing payroll tax caps on high earners to secure the program's solvency.

• Oppose raising the retirement age or privatizing Social Security.
• Require billionaires and wealthy earners to pay their fair share into the system.

“Social Security is not a handout. It’s not an entitlement. It’s a guarantee that after a lifetime of work, your country will not abandon you.”

“Raising the retirement age cheats workers who built this country. I will oppose it at every turn and defend benefits for those who earned them.”

Richard Hudson

Voted to reduce benefit offsets

Hudson voted for bipartisan legislation eliminating offsets that reduced Social Security benefits for public employees receiving government pensions.

• Voted Yea on the Social Security Fairness Act of 2023 (H.R. 82) to reduce benefit offsets for state and local government retirees.

Richard Ojeda

Supports targeted terror watch-list restrictions

In his documented platform statements, Ojeda supported preventing individuals listed on the federal terror watch list from legally purchasing firearms.

• Prevent individuals on the federal terror watch list from purchasing firearms.

“Individuals who are on the terror watch list should be prevented from flying on American airplanes and from legally purchasing firearms.”

Richard Hudson

Opposes gun restrictions and defends 2A

Hudson is a self-described lifelong hunter and NRA member who views the Second Amendment as 'America's First Freedom' and opposes gun control measures.

• Vigorously opposes new federal restrictions on firearm ownership.
• Member of the National Rifle Association (NRA).

“A lifelong hunter, sportsman and member of the National Rifle Association, Richard knows the Second Amendment is America’s First Freedom.”