Guilford College played host to the first Democratic congressional debate for the 6th District on March 25 with three candidates vying for the support of the voters. Teresa Sue Bratton, Johnny J. Carter, and Jay Ovittore answered a variety of questions about their policies, ranging from healthcare to the war in Iraq.

The 6th Congressional District encompasses Greensboro and other parts of Guilford County, as well as all of Randolph and Moore counties. It also includes parts of Alamance, Davidson, and Rowan counties as well.

The district has been represented by Howard Coble, a Guilford alumnus, since 1985. Coble has retained a strong support base, but Democrats hope that this year will be different.

“Howard Coble is my least favorite Guilford alum,” said Brennan Aberle, a senior and member of the Student Senate Executive Council. “I would love to see a strong candidate run against him.”

One of the more important issues facing the 6th District is immigration, and the candidates each had their own ideas on how to manage the influx of immigrants.

Bratton believes in a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants and agrees with securing our borders but bluntly stated that a fence “just won’t work.”

Carter pointed out that the issue is a humanitarian one as well and handling immigration incorrectly could result in disaster.

“There are no illegal people,” Carter noted. “They only entered illegally.”

Carter advocates deporting criminals who enter illegally and allowing law-abiding and hard-working immigrants to stay and eventually earn their citizenship.

Ovittore took an admittedly moderate stance on immigration, advocating that employers, as well as landlords, should be held responsible for employing and housing undocumented immigrants.

He also pointed out to the audience that free trade agreements such as NAFTA and CAFTA, were creating this problem. If elected, he would draft a bill to repeal these agreements.

The war in Iraq is another hot issue for the voters of the district and an issue on contention as it pertains to the incumbent. While Coble is in favor of bringing the troops home, he refuses to support funding bills that include timetables for withdrawal.

While all the candidates were in agreement that the American people were misled into this war, each candidate had a different approach to dealing with the war.

Bratton would vote for continued funding of the war only with a timeline for withdrawal. She also advocates engaging countries in the region.

Carter pointed out that American casualties stemming from the war happen in places other than Iraq.

“We’ve reached 4,000 deaths six months ago with the suicides of returning soldiers,” Carter said, insinuating that the United States is neglecting its’ troops at home and abroad.

Ovittore sees the conflict as a violation of sovereignty and expressed his dismay at the turn for the worse U.S. national security has taken.

“We created Al Qaeda in Iraq,” Ovittore said. “They weren’t there before we got there. And now we’re facilitating Iran.”

As the debate wrapped up, it became clear that the overall message of the evening was change. The person best to deliver that change is ultimately left up to the voters of the 6th Congressional District who vote on May 6.