SALISBURY — North Carolina will be holding its primary elections on March 5 and that means candidates only have a few more days to get their messages out to potential voters. With no Democrat running in North Carolina’s 6th Congressional District, everything hinges on who will come out victorious from the Republican ticket.

Addison McDowell, a native of Davidson County, is one of the six candidates on the ballot. McDowell has worked as a lobbyist for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina and as a constituent liaison for United States Senator Ted Budd. While McDowell has never run for elected office before, he is the only candidate who has been endorsed by former President Donald Trump. 

On Feb. 21, McDowell held a campaign event at City Tavern in downtown Salisbury with Donald Trump Jr. showing up to give a speech on the present condition of the United States. State Reps. Kevin Crutchfield and Harry Warren were also there as well as Landis Mayor Meredith Smith. 

McDowell brought up border security as one of the major obstacles that the country is reckoning with. Having lost his brother, William, to a drug overdose in 2016, McDowell has a personal connection to the subject. 

“We have drugs coming into this country that are killing people like my brother, like my classmates from high school. Like everybody in our area, they know somebody that’s died from fentanyl, so I think that’s a big issue,” McDowell said. 

McDowell stated his belief that the country’s economy has faltered under President Joe Biden’s administration, adding that if more politicians like him are elected, they will be able to formulate a solution to fix it. 

“We go to the grocery store, the price of eggs is too high, my gas is too high, everything costs too much. We’re going to get Republicans in office that will combat Joe Biden’s reckless spending,” McDowell said. 

According to the US Energy Information Administration, the average price of a gallon of gasoline in January was $3.19.

According to the consumer price index from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average cost for a dozen eggs is $2.52, which represents a jump from last August’s average of $2.04, but a significant decrease from the January 2023 average of $4.82.

Though McDowell has not previously run for office, he sees that as giving him an edge over other candidates since he has not been influenced by the current political landscape. 

“I know the people of this district because I’m from here and I know them, but I think the advantages of never having run are that I haven’t been corrupted by anything. It’s clear to the voters that I think that I’m doing this for the right reasons, I’m not doing it for the wrong ones, I’m doing it for the people here and not for myself,” McDowell said. 

Trump said that he and McDowell have been friends for years and he feels confident in his ability to lead the 6th District. Trump points to the fact that McDowell is from this district and has a real connection to his constituents to where he can be a successful Congressman if he wins the election.

“There’s a local component of politics that’s missing. When I see people running for every office, they move to different parts of the state, they move to different states to try and run. There’s no synergy with the people,” Trump said. “He understands the people, he understands their needs, he knows them, they’re his neighbors. He doesn’t have to learn, he already knows.”