Across the country, voters in the midterm elections are choosing, among other positions, 435 members of the House of Representatives. But of all those races, only a handful are being labeled as competitive, including North Carolina's 13th—a newly created district that runs from the city of Raleigh through two suburbs and all the way out into two rural counties.
The candidates include Democrat Wiley Nickel and Republican Bo Hines. Nickel is a current state senator with vast experience. Hines is a 27-year-old former college football player who has described himself as a "MAGA warrior."
Despite his lack of experience and empty resume, trust fund baby Hines has made a name for himself by consistently sharing ignorant and problematic comments. Comparing his race to football, the GOP candidate has not only called politics “a full-contact sport,” but expressed dangerous views on abortion, immigration, and (of course) accepting the 2020 presidential election results.
Campaign Action
With the backing of former President Donald Trump, Hines is appealing to far-right individuals. He even has the support of the infamous Marjorie Taylor-Greene, Madison Cawthorn, and Matt Gaetz— that tells you a lot about who he must be as a person.
But despite his elitist background, Hines is trying to create a facade that he can relate to the average person. In several interviews, he has attempted to complain about inflation by bringing up his grocery bill. During an appearance on WRAL’s “On the Record” program last month, he said the rising year-over-year costs of goods and services are equivalent to a month of lost pay.
“In my household, my wife and I can’t afford to give up one month’s salary,” Hines said. “We have bills to pay, we have rent to pay. This is something that’s hurting people every single day, and their No. 1 priority is the economy.”
But the reality is Hines doesn’t have a job outside of the campaign trail—he’s supported financially through a trust fund set up by his parents, and according to WRAL, while he pays rent, his wife covers the utilities.
In terms of abortion, his stance is also very interesting. The young Republican says he believes abortion should be unlawful except in cases where a mother’s life is at risk, but Hines also wants to victims of rape and incest to be allowed to get an abortion on a case-by-case basis. His process of determining which cases will be allowed abortions is what makes his stance and ideology especially problematic. Hines suggests holding a community-level review process—outside the jurisdiction of the federal government—to determine who should be permitted to have an abortion in cases of rape, incest, and when the life of the pregnant person is endangered.
But when asked to clarify his stance in a recent TV interview, Hines said: “It boils down to an individual basis … I think you have to look at each case individually.” This followed previous comments in which Hines said abortion should be “illegal throughout the United States. No exceptions.”
Who would be conducting the community review and other details of his proposed process were not specified, but it seems like Hines's stance changes according to whom he is speaking.
Of course, his own stance on abortion isn’t the only problem with Hines’ positions. He also invents positions for his opponent. Hines accused Nickel of supporting "abortion all the way up until the point of birth, even post-birth."
"My position is much less radical than my opponent’s position, which is really abortion all the way up until the point of birth, even post-birth," Hines told WRAL’s On the Record.
There is, of course, no evidence that Nickel—or literally anyone—supports “post-birth” abortion, but Nickel does agree with everyone on earth that killing a child after birth is illegal.
Instead, Nickel’s stance is that he wants to codify into federal law the rights established by the landmark Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey rulings. He even sponsored a bill in the state Senate to do just that earlier this year. The bill would allow the state to restrict abortions up until fetal viability, or around 23 or 24 weeks into a pregnancy.
Clearly, Hines not only lacks experience but is willing to make up any story in an attempt to get the support he wants. Who knows what other stories he will create against Nickel in the next few days or how his stance on issues will change before—or after—the election next week.
According to WRAL, if elected, Hines would join the House Freedom Caucus, a coalition of the chamber’s most ideologically extreme conservatives.
Here's how we stop the GOP from criminalizing abortion and stealing elections: Donate $5 to to support Democratic candidates for attorney general in five key states.
Abortion rights, climate change, and gun safety are all on the ballot this fall, and there are literally thousands of ways to get involved in turning our voters. Plug into a federal, state, or local campaign from our GOTV feed at Mobilize and help Democrats and progressives win in November.
The 2022 midterms are just around the corner, and you sent us a ton of fantastic questions for this week’s episode of The Downballot. Among the many topics we cover: which states are likely to report results slowly—and how will those results change over time; the House districts that look like key bellwethers for how the night might go, and which might offer surprises; why and how Democrats make the hard decisions on which races to triage; the top legislative chambers to keep an eye on; and plenty more!