Update: This story was updated at 10 a.m. May 1 to clarify the candidates’ respective position on offshore testing and drilling.

Republican Primary, state House District 6: Currituck, Dare, Hyde, and Pamlico Counties

  • Beverly Boswell (incumbent, one term). Education: Graduate, Northern Nash Senior High school. Occupation: Medical assistant and phlebotomist. Career Highlights: Member of the House Select Committee on Disaster Relief, Elections and Ethics Law Committee, Agriculture Committee, and several others. Boswell is a primary sponsor on numerous bills including one to repeal the plastic bag ban in her district. Additional info on Boswell’s campaign can be found here.
  • Bobby Hanig. Education: High School diploma with some college. Career: Small business owner, Chair of the Currituck County Commission. Career Highlights: Sits on the Trillium Health Northern Regional Advisory Board, the Ocean Sands Water and Sewer District Board, and the Tourism Development Authority. Hanig is also a U.S. Army beteran. More information about Hanig’s campaign can be found here.

Incumbent Rep. Beverly Boswell, R-Dare, is running for re-election in House District 6, but first she must face Currituck County Commissioner Bobby Hanig in the Republican primary.

Boswell knows a thing or two about making headlines. In March, the lawmaker called students “Tide Pod eaters” after they walked out of schools to protest gun violence, and said school leaders were allowing them to run the schools.

Even more controversial was when Boswell claimed to be a registered nurse online, prompting the North Carolina Board of Nursing to ask her to stop. Boswell has since removed the title from her Facebook page and website, blaming the error on a volunteer. Her campaign explained the controversy in this post.

Hanig made allusions to this controversy in a Facebook post where he points out that candidates “always should be truthful in presenting themselves and their views” and should not “disrespect those who have completed specific or obtained necessary licenses to earn a title, such as lawyers, doctors, or even nurses.”

In the same post, Hanig says he is a U.S. Army veteran but doesn’t claim to be the Chief of Staff of the Army.

Boswell’s past controversies are likely to follow her throughout the primary. The N.C. FreeEnterprise Foundation ranks the district as “strong Republican.”

“I am seeking re-election to continue to preserve and expand the pro-growth, tax-cutting Republican policies that have made North Carolina the No. 1 pro-business state on the East Coast,” Boswell said.

“As a current state lawmaker and during my tenure as a county commissioner, I have successfully fought against wasteful government spending, while also at the same time being a working mother, I understood the challenges that many of our families face day-in and day-out,” Boswell said. “Unlike my opponent, I have a proven record of keeping taxes and fees low on the local as well as the state level.”

Hanig said he welcomes the opportunity to help the people in his district by going to Raleigh to cut taxes, create jobs, and be a voice for his community.

“The region needs an honest and hard-working representative focused on conservative values and looking out for our families,” Hanig said. “I will fight to reduce taxes, reign in out-of-control government spending, and use my experience as a small business owner to enact policies to grow and strengthen the economy in North Eastern North Carolina.”

If elected, Hanig said he would represent the voters and not political insiders.

“The region needs an honest and hard-working representative focused on conservative values and looking out for our families,” Hanig said.

On the controversial Atlantic Coast Pipeline $57.8 million mitigation fund, Hanig and Boswell argue it was a slush fund and that Gov. Roy Cooper acted outside his constitutional authority.

Both candidates praised House Bill 90, which diverted the money to public education in the eight counties affected by the pipeline. But Hanig supported a move by Currituck County commissioners to oppose seismic testing and drilling for oil and gas off the coast. Boswell, according to news reports, supports the effort to drill offshore.

But, Hanig said, he thinks energy independence is crucial to North Carolina and the country. Hanig said one of the most important issues concerning his district is the heroin and opioid crisis, which he says, isn’t getting the coverage it deserves.

“I look forward to working with health officials and social services to help fight this epidemic,” Hanig said.

Boswell said in the upcoming short session she will focus on promoting long-term viability and production of the mariculture and oyster industry.

“Recognizing the substantial potential for oyster tourism in North Carolina, I believe we need the creation of a ‘North Carolina Oyster Trail’ program and a North Carolina Oyster Festival,” Boswell said. “Agritourism in North Carolina is well-known and available year-round. Thus, North Carolina oysters could and will be an important factor in agritourism growth in the State.”

In the general election, Democrat Tess Judge will face the winner of the GOP primary.