ROCKINGHAM — While making stops along U.S. 74 on Tuesday, U.S. Sen. Ted Budd stopped in Richmond County for coffee.
Before heading to the Duke Energy Complex south of Hamlet, Budd and an aide decided to get a cup of java at Nana’s Coffee Rocks at the IncSpace building in downtown Rockingham.
(Disclosure: The Melvin family, owners of IncSpace, are also owners of the Richmond Observer, which has an office located on the second floor of the building.)
Budd is a Davie County native who represented the state’s 13th District in the U.S. House of Representatives before being elected last November to the Senate seat formerly held by Richard Burr.
The senator said he was asked on the campaign trail if he was going to come back if he was sent to Washington. So now he’s doing just that.
“We visited all 100 counties back during the campaign, and now as a sitting U.S. senator it’s my job to understand what’s going on with the state, what’s driving the economy, what people are seeing, what their concerns are with the federal government,” Budd said.
Budd stopped at the Berry Patch on the campaign trail in April 2022.
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Workforce challenges are one of the largest concerns Budd said he’s heard from business owners across the state.
“Small businesses, they need folks to apply,” Budd said. “I guess it’s always been a challenge, but it’s especially a challenge right now in health care.”
Budd said those he’s spoken with are also concerned “about the weaponization of government.”
“They don’t like the extremes,” Budd said. “They want folks just to run a good government under the guidance of the Constitution and to be responsible and to do what they say they’re going to do.
“They’re looking for somebody they can trust,” he continued. “That’s why I want to get to know folks and for them to get to know me and how we’re there to serve them.”
When asked about the differences between the House and the Senate, Budd first pointed out the difference in elected officials: 435 compared to just 100.
As a congressman, Budd said he only represented a handful of counties in his district. But now, along with Sen. Thom Tillis, he represents all 100.
Budd serves on the Armed Services Committee, which is advantageous for North Carolina having eight active military bases including Fort Liberty (formerly Fort Bragg), Seymour Johnson Air Force Base and Marine Corps Air Stations at Cherry Point and New River.
The senator also serves on the Commerce and Small Business committee, as well as the HELP Committee (Health, Labor, Education and Pensions).
“It’s a real honor to be able to serve there, then come back home and see how it’s playing out here in the state,” Budd said.
Before stopping in Richmond County, Budd visited the Jesse Helms Center in Union County and had a skilled nursing visit in Anson County. Helms, who was born in Monroe, served as one of North Carolina’s two senators from 1973-2003.
Senators are elected every six years.
