For weeks now, my opponent has tried to distract voters by questioning my faith because of a single vote — my “NO” vote on HB 16, a bill that would have displayed “In God We Trust” in the chambers of the North Carolina General Assembly.

That kind of attack is disappointing, but more importantly, it’s wrong.

I refuse to call names or claim that my faith is superior to anyone else’s. My commitment to God shapes my values and actions as a person and as a legislator. Faith is not a talking point for me — it is something I strive to live out through service, integrity, and accountability.

The framers of our Constitution understood this well. 

They believed deeply in faith, yet they were clear that the government must not establish religion. That principle protects everyone’s beliefs — including people of faith. It’s why we open every legislative session with prayer. No one has ever tried to ban prayer in the General Assembly, and no one is attacking faith by defending the constitutional line between church and state.

What my opponent doesn’t mention is that Section 2 of HB 16 would have allowed a private individual or entity to pay for the display. That provision raised serious concerns for me and others — concerns about turning faith into a transactional symbol. 

The government should not invite a “pay-to-display” model that opens the door to influence peddling. 

We’ve seen where that road leads in Washington, D.C., where access and symbolism too often go to the highest bidder.

Trying to paint that vote as a lack of faith is a tactic straight out of the MAGA playbook — and it’s being used because he can’t really criticize anything else.

My opponent can’t point to failures to deliver for District 27, because the reality is this: The legislature has struggled to pass a comprehensive state budget because Republicans —

whom my Democratic primary opponent voted with over 85 percent of the time — can’t agree among themselves.

While others play partisan games, I’ve been focused on making sure constituents understand how Raleigh works and how state decisions affect their daily lives. 

I’ve held town halls, brought state agency leaders directly into our communities, and worked to make the political process more transparent and accessible. 

An informed public is a stronger public.

If we’re going to talk about records, let’s talk about them honestly.

My opponent refuses to debate — a troubling signal of disrespect for voters, a lack of transparency, and a lack of confidence in his own voting history.

That history shows a pattern of votes, including veto overrides of former Governor Cooper, that have made life more difficult for working families:

Raising auto insurance requirements, increasing costs for drivers

Weakening pistol permit safeguards, putting more guns on our streets

Voting to raise utility bills and homeowners’ insurance rates by delaying stronger building and energy-efficiency standards — making homes more expensive to heat and cool and less resilient to storms — while taking PAC money from the NC Home Builders Association, Dominion Energy and Duke Energy

Blocking communities from building their own broadband after taking money from AT&T and Charter Communications

Voting to divert hundreds of millions from public schools to private schools

Weakening environmental protections that safeguard our air, water, and property values

I’ve taken a different approach.

I co-sponsored HB 50, which became law in July and created a special separation allowance where some law enforcement officers get to continue earning retirement

benefits without a significant reduction if they return to work. 

I also co-sponsored HB 353 to enact a fair minimum wage and HB 564 to provide cost-of-living adjustments for retirees — commonsense measures to support working families. 

Additional co-sponsorships included HB 28 to strengthen penalties for felons committing gun crimes; HB 77 to protect communities from disproportionate environmental harm; and HB 420 to invest in public schools under the Leandro plan, including teacher recruitment, professional development, expanded pre-K, and equitable funding for students with greater needs.

Those bills never saw a hearing, not because they lacked merit, but because the same Republican leadership my opponent sides with refused to move them forward.

Many citizens recognize that invoking God’s name does not automatically make an action moral. Faith without service, compassion, and honesty is hollow.

I will always stand with the people of District 27 to deliver good schools, affordable health care, clean air and water, and better jobs. That’s not too liberal or too conservative — it’s just plain common sense.

We live our faith through our actions. Voters deserve a serious conversation about records, rigor, and responsibility — not cheap political smears.

Representative Rodney Pierce, House District 27