Name as it appears on the ballot: Shelane Etchison
Party affiliation: Unaffiliated
Previous elected offices held: None
Age as of Election Day: 38
Immediate family members: Husband, pregnant with first child
Occupation (employer, where you work, what you do): Part-time substitute teacher in Moore County, former Army officer in Special Operations and the Military Police
Website and campaign social media: etchisonforcongress.com, Instagram, Facebook, shelane@etchisonforcongress.com
1. What sort of federal laws would you enact regarding abortion, and why?
I support codifying abortion laws as it was under Roe v. Wade. Where abortion access is protected at the federal level until fetal viability, and exceptions exist thereafter as to preserve the life and health of the mother. My position is consistent with the majority of Americans who believe government should not dictate these personal family decisions or interfere with medical professionals’ ability to provide reproductive care. As a current expectant mother, I understand there is a point of fetal viability in which abortion care should only be reserved for rare medical circumstances where the life and health of the mother are at risk.
2. The Cape Fear River, which provides drinking water for hundreds of thousands of North Carolinians, is highly contaminated with toxic chemicals. Describe the assistance you plan to send back to water utilities and private well users in North Carolina to help them mitigate PFAS contamination. What is your plan to ensure the financial burden is addressed by PFAS polluters?
As your congresswoman, I’ll work to ensure North Carolinians affected by PFAS contamination in the Cape Fear River have access to clean, safe drinking water. I will push the Environmental Protection Agency to enforce its new drinking water standards, which set strict limits on PFAS chemicals like PFOA, PFOS and GenX. I’ll also advocate for additional funding through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to help utilities install advanced filtration systems along with private well users. Additionally, I will fight to hold polluters like Chemours accountable by supporting legislation to designate PFAS as hazardous substances, ensuring they are responsible for cleanup costs. By strengthening the EPA’s authority under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, I will help push for faster and more extensive remediation of contaminated areas.
3. In 2017, the Republican majority in Congress and then-President Donald Trump made tax cuts that were permanent for corporations but temporary for working people. The Trump-Republican tax law of 2017 will significantly increase income taxes for millions of working Americans on Jan. 1, 2026. What plans do you have regarding this tax increase, and why?
The 2017 Trump-Republican tax law gave corporations permanent tax cuts while leaving working Americans with temporary relief, set to expire in 2026. This looming tax hike will hurt millions of families when they can least afford it, which is why I’ll work to extend and make permanent tax cuts for hardworking people, ensuring you keep more of your hard-earned dollars. North Carolinian families deserve a congresswoman who will prioritize their interests over corporate interests, which is why I’m proud to be running unaffiliated and only accountable to the voters — not corporations or the ultra-wealthy.