While Republican congressional candidate David Rouzer holds fundraisers Monday in Wilmington and Wallace with U.S. Rep. Eric Cantor, the House majority leader from Virginia, Rouzer’s GOP opponent, Woody White, says he would have asked Cantor to stay home.
Rouzer, a former state senator from Johnston County, said Republican U.S. Reps. Patrick McHenry of Denver, Renee Ellmers of Dunn and Richard Hudson of Concord also would join him Monday night at the Wallace fundraiser at the home of Dell and Wendy Murphy. He said he had more than 220 RSVPs for that event.
“I think we’re going to bring in pretty close to $150,000 between both events,” Rouzer said in a phone interview Monday.
Meanwhile, Woody White, a Wilmington attorney also running for the GOP nomination in the 7th Congressional District, planned a news conference Monday in Wilmington to continue his criticism of Cantor for voting last week in favor of raising the federal debt ceiling. In a news release, White said “he would have gracefully asked the congressman from Virginia to stay at home had the roles been reversed.”
White criticized Cantor last week for being among 28 House Republicans who voted with Democrats for the debt limit increase without concessions from the administration of President Barack Obama.
“While David Rouzer cozies up to Rep. Eric Cantor this week and wants to go along to Washington to get along with Washington, I’ll fight Obama and liberals – and those in our own party who vote with the liberals – to protect and defend our conservative principles,” White said last week.
Rouzer responded by asking which candidate would be able to get more done for the district – “the one who pokes his finger in the eyes of leadership or the one who respectfully disagrees with the leadership from time to time but knows how to get the job done.”
Rouzer said he would have voted against the increase in the debt ceiling. “That doesn’t mean you don’t work with (leadership) … or go out and publicly say they ought to stay home,” he said. He added that House leaders decide which bills come to the floor and which committees members serve on.
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