Deb Butler

Deb Butler was born in Columbia, South Carolina. She earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville in 1983 and a J.D. from the Wake Forest University School of Law in 1986. Her career experience includes working as an attorney.[1]

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Deb Butler knows the value of hard work because she worked in restaurants, on landscape crews, in hospitals, and in furniture factories to afford her education. Those efforts yielded a BA from the University of Tennessee and well as a law degree from Wake Forest University School of Law. As a long-time small business owner, she believes very much that this country is still the land of opportunity, acknowledging, however, that those opportunities have become more difficult to access for far too many of our citizens.

Representative Butler has received the internationally acclaimed Tammy Baldwin /Breakout Award from the Victory Fund 2019, The Indyweek 19 in 2019 acknowledgment, InStyle Magazine’s “Badass Women” issue inclusion, The Cucalourus Leadership Award among many other designations for her viral defense of the NC infamous veto override vote. Her phrase #Iwillnotyield has become a rallying cry across the country. Our own Governor Cooper has called Representative Butler a “progressive sparkplug”. Representative Butler says that she wears that label with great pride.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

We should elect people to represent us who are committed to integrity and honesty, facts and science. The goal must be to elevate the public discourse in order to return to our civil society.It is critically important that we work with urgency to preserve our natural environment. We should embrace the precautionary principle such that manufacturers must prove the safety of their processes before using public trust resources.Money in politics is corrupting the process. Campaign finance reform is essential to insure that we are electing the best qualified candidates, not those who can raise the most money.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I want to see the end of cash bail for nonviolent offenders.

I want to reimagine the dischrge permitting process to protect our natural environment.

I want to incrementally raise the minimum wage to a living wage.

I want to expand Medicaid in NC.

I want topass statewide non-discrimination legilsation.

I want to invest in NC schools and teachers in a more robust fashion.

I want to foster investment in renewable energy sources.

I want to decriminalize the personal use of small amounts of cannabis.

In no particular order....

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

I am always moved by "ordinary people" when they do extraordinary things. Like the firefighter who repels over the side of a skyscraper to save someone from a burning building, or the heroes of 911 who died trying to save others. The stories of heroic people who do things for the sake of others. The moments of self-sacrifice when people rise to the challenge when the circumstances require it.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Intelligence

Integrity

Honesty

Work Ethic

Approachability

In no particular order

What legacy would you like to leave?

I suppose I would like for people to know that I did the best job I could for them. That I truly cared and worked for policies that I believed would improve their lives. I hope to have been a role model and perhaps to have inspired young folks, especially little girls so that they wouldn't be afraid to try and succeed.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

I remember the first moonwalk. It was beyond comprehension. I was 8 years old.

What do you believe is the ideal relationship between the governor and state legislature?

The Legislature makes the law, the Judiciary interprets the law, and the Governor as the Executive, implements the law and has the authority to veto legislation that he or she finds unacceptable. This is the proper distributuion of power that serves as the check and balance necessary in government.

Do you believe that it’s beneficial for state legislators to have previous experience in government or politics?

No. You just need to be a hardworker who is committed to learning and doing what's best for your constituents in your considered judgment.

What process do you favor for redistricting?

I favor an independent commission who is charged with following the mapmaking criteria as determined by the Judiciary.

If you are a current legislator, what appealed to you about your current committees?

I serve on Finance, Transporation, Commerce, Banking, and Judiciary. These committees are in line with the work I have done as an Attorney so I enjoy them and believe that I make meaningful contributions accordingly.

Are you interested in running for a different political office (for example, the U.S. Congress or governor) in the future?

Never say never I suppose.

Should the legislature oversee or grant the use of emergency powers?

I think the lion's share of emergency powers should reside in the Executive Branch. We saw during Covid as well as during natural disasters such as hurricanes, for example, that decisions need to be made swiftly and nimbly. I think it's too difficult to make these life or death decisions by committee.

Do you believe that compromise is necessary or desirable for policymaking?

It is essential and we do not do enough of it.

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Deborah "Deb" Armfield Butler is a lawyer currently serving as a member of the North Carolina House of Representatives representing House District 18 located in eastern North Carolina . Representative Butler was appointed by Governor Roy Cooper In February of 2017 to fill the balance of that term when her predecessor Secretary Susi Hamilton was appointed to the Governor's cabinet.

Representative Butler was elected to her peers to a leadership position , Democratic Whip, upon winning re-election to the seat in 2018. representative Butler is associated with the phrase, "I will not yield!" because of her strong and defiant floor debate of what has been called an "ambush vote" taken by the Speaker of the House Tim Moore with only 9 members of the Democratic Caucus in attendance. The viral video of that debate has been seen millions of times and the phrase has become a rallying cry and can be found on t-shirts and bumper stickers.

Butler was awarded the Tammy Baldwin breakout award from the Victory Fund, is a Cuculourus Leadership Fellow, and often speaks at conferences, rallies and political events.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

North Carolina must provide healthcare coverage to its citizens who are in the coverage gap. It is morally imperative, but it is economically wise as well. Expanding medicaid can be done without any tax burden to our citizens. There are 37 states that have already done the expansion to the benefit of their people. NC should do the same because the dollars have already been paid by North Carolinians and they should come back to NC. People are rationing insulin and not getting the preventive care they need. Further, they are using the ER for treatment which is the worst possible course because it is expensive and crowds the facility for those suffering true emergencies. Expanding medicaid would also help rural hospitals who are struggling to North Carolina's teachers are being treated as second class citizens. They are being asked to do more with less. Their masters pay has been taken. They have larger class sizes and not enough teaching assistants. Their pay is well below the national average and per pupil spending is inadequate. Teachers do not have adequate supplies in some areas and yet we entrust them with our most valuable resource, our children, and ask them to mold our future. We must stop the proliferation of charter schools who often function for profit at the expense of our children. And we must issue a school bond to meet the needs of a growing economy. There is an 8 billion dollar need right now for schools facilities. We need to prioritize public education again iClimate change is real. The seas are rising. Our water supply is being compromised. It is an emergency that needs our full attention. We have got to repeal any legislation that does not allow us to hold polluters and those holding discharge permits accountable for damaging our public trust resources. Furthermore, we must embrace the precautionary principle that says if you want to do business in NC, you must prove that your manufacturing processes are safe and that any by-product, discharge or emission has been thoroughly and independently tested BEFORE a permit is issued. We must embrace the science of resiliency and prepare for storms that are becoming more violent and more frequent and we will have to study the best way to retreat from t

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

As a member of the LGBTQ community, I am passionate about equality for North Carolinians. It is time that we pass statewide nondiscrimination legislation that would protect LGBTQ citizens from discrimination particularly in the areas of housing, employment, finance, foster care, adoption, and so many others. This is an initiative I will continue to pursue.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Integrity. Work ethic. Empathy.

What legacy would you like to leave?

I think it might have been Oprah Winfrey that said people may not remember precisely the things you did in your life, but they will always remember the way you made them feel. I hope that I never lose sight of making the people I serve feel well represented. That they know I want what's best for everyone and that I was committed, accessible and always really cared about doing the best job possible for them. It's not a complex legacy, but that would be a good one.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

I remember at about 12 the resignation of Richard Nixon. I recall that I had never seen a headline that bold or with such big print. I also remember the assassinations of Bobby Kennedy and Martin Luther King although those memories are not as clear. I suspect my mother shielded me from those for obvious reasons.

Do you believe that it’s beneficial for state legislators to have previous experience in government or politics?

I do think it is helpful, but not essential. Lawmaking is just that and therefore the terminology and process can be complex. A legal background such as mine is again helpful, but I have many colleagues who do not have that background and they are great legislators.

Do you believe it’s beneficial to build relationships with other legislators? Please explain your answer.

Absolutely. First of all, most are very fine and interesting people. Furthermore, no legislation ever gets passed without the collective effort of legislators. Relationships, professionalism... the art of disagreement and negotiation are all essential.

If you are a current legislator, what appealed to you about your current committees?

My current committees were assigned by the Speaker and given the current rancorous condition of NC politics, I was assigned nothing I asked for so being part of a minority party these days means extreme marginalization. It's a shame.

Are you interested in running for a different political office (for example, the U.S. Congress or governor) in the future?

Perhaps.

Butler's website highlighted the following campaign themes:[3]

Let’s Get Back to Work

Excerpt: "Deb Butler will make sure we make the investments needed for our future. She will make sure our area has the infrastructure we need to recruit and retain the best employers and that we don’t play politics when American companies like Caterpillar and Continental Tire want to bring good-paying jobs here."

Education Moves Us Forward

Excerpt: "Cutting education to balance the budget is not the answer. We must reduce class size and make sure our schools and teachers have every resource available so our kids have the best education possible. We must make our local universities and community colleges accessible and affordable for more citizens."

Common Sense Solutions for Women, Seniors and Families

Excerpt: "Instead of focusing on a radical social agenda, Deb will listen to what is important right here at home in New Hanover County. She will use common sense to tackle our state’s greatest problems. She believes women deserve to make their own choices. Seniors deserve to age with dignity and working families deserve every opportunity to succeed."