Joshua Niday, candidate for NC House District 105
Name: Joshua Niday
Political party: Republican
Age as of Nov. 8, 2022: 29
Campaign website: electniday.com
Occupation: Community/field sales representative
Education: Political science, UNC Charlotte, 2016
Have you run for elected office before? Yes. NC House 99 (2018) NC Senate 39 (2020)
Please list highlights of your civic involvement: I formerly served on Charlotte’s transportation advisory committee where I could offer input on local public transportation.
What are the three issues that you see as most important to your district and what will you do to address them?
The economy/inflation: reduce regulations, increase domestic production in North Carolina, fight for good paying jobs/lower taxes. Education: Increase school choice options. Your zip code shouldn’t dictate your chances of success, increase teacher starting pay/merit based incentives to improve outcomes, improve reading scores/school safety. Crime: improve officer retention to deal with CMPD shortage, reform bail to ensure violent offenders aren’t back on the streets, ban any city from defunding the police.
At a time when costs are rising, state government has a surplus. How should it be used?
Some of it should be kept for a rainy day fund. I think a good amount of it should be returned to the taxpayers and I think some it should be used for improved roads and infrastructure projects.
Will you vote for Medicaid expansion in North Carolina?
Yes.
What has the legislature gotten right, and what has it gotten wrong, about public education in North Carolina?
Right: opportunity scholarships. Wrong: teacher pay, which has often been held up by Governor Cooper’s incessant vetoes. We also should make more investments in school safety and infrastructure.
Should North Carolina change its abortion laws? How?
Abortion should be banned starting at some point during the first trimester.
Please add anything else voters should know about your position on the legality or availability of abortion in North Carolina.
I am pro-life and want restrictions on abortion unless the mother’s life is at risk and I would also support rape/incest exceptions. Almost every country in Europe has a 10-14 week ban. The 20 weeks (current North Carolina law) is way too high. Overall, I want the number of abortions to go down. Changing the laws by itself aren’t enough. We need to increase funding to pregnancy centers and use some of the surplus to create a program to provide assistance, job placement and housing for pregnant/postpartum women.
Should medical marijuana be legalized in North Carolina?
Yes.
What, if anything, should the legislature do to shape curriculum dealing with topics of race, sexuality and gender?
Books with overtly sexual images/content should be banned from schools. Teachers should also not be allowed to have inappropriate discussions about gender with students. I also oppose any effort to implement “Critical Race Theory.” I want teachers to teach U.S. history and all of it, the good, bad and ugly. What I oppose is indoctrination. Schools should prepare our students for the real world and teach them how to think not what to think. Lastly, I believe parents have the right to know what their kids are learning.
Do you accept the results of the 2020 presidential election?
Yes.
