The mid-term elections will soon be upon us. And one of the most important decisions for voters will be that of North Carolina senator as Richard Burr is retiring from office. The two candidates are Cheri Beasley (former N.C. Supreme Court Chief Justice) and Ted Budd (current representative for the 13th district in the House).

For me, the jury is still out on Beasley. As for Budd, I have serious concerns about his worthiness to be the next senator of our state.

One of my concerns is who he plans to represent. North Carolina is clearly a purple state with 35.5% of voters registered as Democrat, 34% registered independent and 30.5% registered Republican. When you look at his political ads and listen to what he is saying, you can clearly see who he is courting. You can clearly see who he plans to represent as senator. We should expect a senator who will represent and help all North Carolinians and not just a small percentage.

Another concern is his actions during the 2020 elections. His actions show he has an aversion for our system of government, a system whereby the people vote for their government representatives — not government officials choosing who gets to be in office. In 2020, he signed a brief brought on by the Texas attorney general that attempted to decertify elections in Georgia, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Michigan, even though the elections in these states were legitimate. If this was successful (which, thankfully, it was not), it would have thrown out millions of votes in these states and disenfranchised millions of voters. We all know who influenced him to sign the brief and why these certain states were chosen.

On Jan. 6, 2021, just a few hours after the violent insurrection took place at the Capitol, Budd, along with other Republican colleagues, voted to overturn the election results in Arizona and Pennsylvania (and more states if they had the opportunity). This charade was put to an end and the legitimate results were finally certified. Our constitutional republic/democracy was founded on the idea that the people choose who they want to represent them in government. Budd’s actions indicate he has other beliefs. If he loses this fall, I wonder if he will take the same dead-end road as the former president did and cry foul.

This brings me to my last concern — his coveted endorsement by the former president. Budd should know by now that the former president does not care about him, or anyone else he endorses. He has been twice impeached and now faces multiple lawsuits about his shady financial dealings and his direct involvement in trying to overturn the election in order to maintain power. He will end up being indicted for something or, at the least, be prohibited from holding public office ever again (deservedly so). Why would anyone covet an endorsement from and give their loyalty to a man of such ill repute? This is a true reflection of Budd’s judgment, or lack thereof.

Budd’s lack of representation, his lack of belief in our system of government and his lack of judgment should be cause for concern for all voters. I don’t have faith that he would serve our state well as senator.

Doug Byrd is a resident of Salisbury.