By Catherine M. Welch
Wilmington, NC – Martin Herring and incumbent Russell Tucker are the democratic candidates looking to challenge republican candidate Richard Kaiser.
Herring has worked for IBM and is currently a musician playing saxophone.
When asked whether children of undocumented residents should be offered in-state tuition to public schools if they have spent at least four years in a state school system, he says there needs to be more research on the issue.
I think the jury's still out and I'm not sure how that's going to work for the children as well as for the illegal aliens.
Incumbent Russell Tucker was Duplin County's county manager for a number of years. He says he's not sure how he feels about the issue.
On that particular issue, um, I don't know that I have an opinion on that.
The 4th House district includes Duplin and Onslow counties.
Laura Padget and incumbent Thomas Wright are the democratic candidates looking to challenge republican candidate Shelia Roberts for the House seat in the 18th district.
When asked if a child of an undocumented resident who has spent at least four years in North Carolina schools should be offered in-state tuition, Padget says she's for making education available to as many people as possible.
If someone has been here for that length of time and we educate them and make it reasonable for them to get school here then hopefully they will become contributing citizens of the state afterwards.
Incumbent Thomas Wright says if a child spends at least four years living in the state and going to school they should be considered residents.
Although they may not be legal citizens of the U.S. and North Carolina then we have to begin to factor in how we maybe grant them temporary citizen status to further educate them. An educated citizenry is a much more productive citizenry.
The 18th House District includes New Hanover and Pender counties.
Shirley Babson and Bill Fairley are the republican primary candidates hoping to challenge incumbent democrat R.C. Soles Jr. for the Senate seat in the 8th district.
Babson is a North Carolina native who for a while worked as a bookkeeper in her father's construction company.
She says she doesn't see a problem offering in-state tuition to children of illegal immigrants who have spent at least four consecutive years in North Carolina schools.
I don't see anything wrong with paying in-state tuition, I don't think there are many of them who are in that category. So I don't think that, I don't think that it would hurt anything, I'll put it that way.
Challenger Bill Fairley went to UNC- Chapel Hill as an undergraduate and returned for law school.
He says all tax-paying residents deserved in-state tuition.
If they are residents of the state of North Carolina, if they have been paying taxes right along with the rest of us then they are entitled to in-state tuition. If not, then they should have to bear the same expenses that out-of-state students bear.
The 8th Senate district includes Brunswick, Columbus and Pender counties.