Like it or not, this election is going to be a referendum on the President and Congress. On November 7, America is going to decide whether they like the direction this country is headed. The major federal election for students here is the fourth district congressional race between the incumbent David Price (D) and challenger Steve Acuff (R). To help you get informed Broadside is going to compare the candidates.

We sent out a questionnaire to each candidate and got a response from Acuff. Since Price did not respond, we found our information on Vote-Smart.org which is an excellent resource for candidates stances on major issues.

In the end we found that both candidates follow party lines on most issues. Price currently has a significant lead in the polls but Acuff is not quite out of the race yet. The turnout on the 7th could make the difference either way.
According to the News and Observer, Acuff has described himself as a “George Bush Republican.” And he seems to be just that. In response to our questionnaire, his primary issues seemed to be immigration, social security and Iraq.

On immigration he wrote, “[immigration] is no longer just an economic or cultural issue. After 9/11 it is a national security issue and our borders need to be secured NOW.”

On social security: “Reform is needed now. [There are many possible solutions] but we need an honest bi-partisan commission to determine what should be done, just like in 1983 when social security was last honestly repaired.”

And on Iraq and the war on terror: “We did not start the War on Terror but we surely must finish it. If we lose focus or quit, soccer moms and kids on our land will be directly in harm’s way just as they are in other parts of the world.”

Of interest to students, his response to funding in higher education: “Attending college is NOT an inalienable right! It is a privilege and should be earned.”

David Price has the views of the standard anti-war Democrat. He is very opposed to the Iraq war and did in fact vote against the 2003 resolution. He was quoted in the News and Observer saying that the Iraq war was a, “historic mistake.”

His more “conservative” stances include being pro-capital punishment, increased funding to prevent illegal drug trafficking, would allow the government more discretion in domestic intelligence, and would like to see some social security money put into stocks and bonds.

But he does have some very liberal stances as well. Price would like to see universal health care in the United States. He also thinks that illegal immigrants should be able to use social programs and services.

On higher education, he believes in more government funding including tax incentives, Pell grants, and Stafford loans.

These are two very unapologetically party line, Southern candidates running in a heavily democratic district.

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