Richard Hudson vows to fight coronavirus, support military in fifth term in Congress
John Henderson The Fayetteville Observer
After a hard-fought campaign, Congressman Richard Hudson said that during his fifth term representing the 8th District he is going to “roll up his sleeves” and address pressing issues of the district.
Among them: working to find a vaccine for the coronavirus, lowering the price of prescription drugs, and continuing the fight to bring resources to soldiers and their families at Fort Bragg, he said.
The district includes a large portion of the southern Piedmont area of the state from Concord to Spring Lake.
With all 176 precincts reporting, Hudson on Tuesday night received 201,181 votes, or 53.35%, while Democratic challenger Patricia Timmons-Goodson received 175,891 votes, or 46.65%, according to unofficial returns.
In a prepared statement, Timmons-Goodson said she is “proud of the effort we put together.
“We ran a strong campaign and gave the voters the information they needed to make an informed choice, and they have spoken. I wish Rep. Hudson well in his next term,” she said in an emailed statement.
Speaking at a victory party at the Cabarrus County Republican Party in Concord late Tuesday night, Hudson said it has been a tough campaign.
He said the national Democratic Party spent millions in the campaign trying to “lie about” his record.
“But the truth prevails,” he said. “The truth did indeed prevail.”
Looking to his next term, Hudson said he plans to continue to work across the aisle with Democrats in Washington to get things done.
“I am humbled by the confidence the voters in this community have given me,” he said. “I will always put your best interest first. But we have a lot of work left ahead of us. We’ve got to safely recover from COVID-19, deliver a vaccine to all of the workers and small businesses (that) still need help.”
Hudson said it is really a challenging time in America, “but tonight you sent a message to Washington that brighter days are ahead.”
“In this campaign, I have vowed that I will continue to work for all of the people in this district — Republicans, Democrats, unaffiliated — to rebuild the greatest economy we have ever seen in our lifetime,” he said.
Hudson said too many of America’s prescription drugs come from countries like China. He said he promises to continue working to lower the price of prescription drugs and bring their manufacturing back to America.
“I make a promise to continue to clean up our drinking water from dangerous chemicals like GenX,” he said, referring to the chemical coming from the Chemours Plant in southern Cumberland County that is considered to be a carcinogen. It has been found in drinking water wells in the Gray’s Creek area. The company has said the levels of the compound found in the drinking water are not dangerous to people’s health.
And most importantly, Hudson said, he will “continue doing everything in my power to support our veterans, to support our troops and to support our families. Being Fort Bragg’s congressman is incredible.”
During the campaign, Timmons-Goodson’s campaign irked Hudson when she ran ads saying he wasn’t doing enough to fight for veterans and Fort Bragg soldiers.
“I’ll never stop fighting for those men and women in uniform and for their incredible families,” he said.
He said veterans and their caregivers “need our support.”
“We are working together,” Hudson said. “I know we can solve these problems, and I know we can leave our community better off for my son, Lane, and for all the children out there.”
Hudson’s press secretary, Greg Steele, said Wednesday that Hudson’s commitment to fighting the coronavirus can be found in a bill that he filed last week, H.R. 14, that would provide more than $47 billion in the fight.
“Congressman Hudson said that will be the first thing to focus on, is to how to fully emerge from COVID-19,” Steele said. “That bill is going to be a big center point here, probably still in the remaining part of this Congress.”
Hudson explained his support for the bill in a news release last week.
“I’m honored to lead this effort to pass targeted solutions to combat COVID-19 and prepare for future pandemics,” Hudson said. “This bill makes important reforms to our telehealth and mental health services. These vital improvements will help our seniors and those stuck at home. It also builds on our efforts to strengthen the Strategic National Stockpile, our testing systems, and our drug supply.”
Steele said Wednesday that Hudson’s district now includes all of Cumberland County and he vows to represent every resident.
“In terms of federal races, Congressman Hudson’s vote percentage outperformed every Republican in Cumberland County,” Steele said. “And we feel that is a direct result of his commitment to working across the aisle, especially to support veterans, troops and their families at Fort Bragg.”
Steele said Hudson will continue to push the “Care for the Veteran Caregiver Act” that he filed earlier this year along with Democratic U.S. Rep. Kathleen M. Rice of New York.
“Congressman Hudson is going to keep pushing for that bill,” Steele said. “It expands stipends for caregivers and then streamlines some of the eligibility requirements.”