BJ Lawson and David Price hold first debate in Durham

During their first debate of the election season, B.J. Lawson and U.S. Rep. David Price disagreed on most issues based on how they define the powers of the federal government.

The candidates, who are running for the 4th district Congressional seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, spoke to a packed audience Friday night at the Durham Transportation Center.

Price, a Democrat who has held the seat for almost 20 years, defended the Obama administration’s policies and dodged Lawson’s attacks that it was legislators like him who have contributed to excessive federal spending.

“The federal government is making promises it can’t keep,” Lawson said. “We need to get funding from private sources and stop relying on the federal government.”

Lawson said he believes the government has expanded its powers beyond what the constitution intended.

He is against federal taxes and grants even for research purposes — a Tea Party ideal that has gained support in this year’s elections.

Price retaliated by saying Lawson’s agenda was not realistic and that federal spending is essential to boost the economy, specifically in Orange County where researchers at UNC could use federal resources.

“We’re going to race to the top of innovation and entrepreneurship, and research is essential to that,” Price said.

Lawson is challenging Price for the second time.

In 2008, he won only 37 percent of the vote, but the large number of Lawson supporters at Friday’s debate might be indicative of the anti-incumbent sentiment sweeping the nation this year that could work in his favor.

More than 70 Lawson supporters, who wore “Lawson for Congress” pins, passed out campaign literature before the event started.

One such supporter, Jeremy Grissom, a junior at Campbell University, said electing Lawson would be a way to make sure the federal government’s power is curbed.

“He is a representative who isn’t going to endanger our civil liberties or our wallets,” Grissom said.

Price supporters might have been out-numbered, but they said the congressman answered the audience’s questions better than Lawson.

“I liked his answers a lot,” said Mary Hughes Brookhart, a Chapel Hill resident. “He had emotions and facts.”

Kevin Davis, a moderator of the debate, said he was glad that supporters on both sides were not disrespectful despite their strong views.

“For 2010, it was a library crowd,” Davis said. “We had no chairs thrown.”

The venue was at its full capacity of 160 people well before the event started, forcing many to listen to the candidate’s responses from a floor below where the debate was being held.

Contact the State & National Editor at stntdesk@unc.edu.