Dem Cheri Beasley avoids addressing cashless bail but questions Budd's support of law enforcement

Former North Carolina Supreme Court Chief Justice Cheri Beasley, who has been taking plenty of hits from Republicans claiming the Democratic Senate nominee is soft on crime, pivoted on a question on her support for cashless bail to go after her opponent for not supporting law enforcement.

Beasley argues that conservative Rep. Ted Budd – whom she’s facing in the race to succeed retiring GOP Sen. Richard Burr in a contest that’s one of a handful across the country in November’s midterm elections that will likely determine if Republicans win back the Senate majority – "has been all talk and no action" when it comes to support for law enforcement.

In ads and on the campaign trail, Budd and his GOP allies have targeted Beasley over her judicial record, attacked her over support for cashless bail for nonviolent offenders, and have claimed that she supports defunding the police. But pushing back, Beasley highlights her endorsements by law enforcement and has distanced herself from those on the far left who’ve called for reductions in police funding.

And in an exclusive interview with Fox News after touring Jim Edwards’ family farm in Burnsville, North Carolina, in the Blue Ridge mountains north of Asheville, Beasley argued that during his tenure in the House, Budd has "had four opportunities to vote in favor of funding for law enforcement, to make sure that they have opportunities for recruitment and retaining their officers, to fight the opioid crisis, and Congressman Budd has voted no each of those four times. He’s the last one to give a lecture on public safety."

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"I’ve spent over two decades as a judge and as chief justice of the Supreme Court, working with law enforcement to keep us safe. I’ve created the first human trafficking court here in North Carolina to hold violent offenders accountable and to support our victims," Beasley touted. "I have been supported by sheriffs and law enforcement officers across this state who we worked in tandem to keep our communities safe. I think that speaks volumes."

And asked about her support for cashless bail for nonviolent offenders, Beasley pivoted and charged that "we all know that actions speak louder than words and Congressman Budd has been all talk and no action."

Budd takes issue with such claims and a press release from his congressional office notes that just two weeks ago the three-term representative and gun store owner "voted for House measures to provide more resources to police departments across North Carolina."

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And he’s also spotlighted his endorsements from law enforcement groups, including the Fraternal Order of Police, the North Carolina Troopers Association, and the North Carolina Police Benevolent Association.

While Budd and Republicans have argued that Beasley would be a "rubber stamp" for President Biden, whose rebounding poll numbers still remain in negative territory, the Democratic Senate nominee has highlighted her policy differences with the White House. She’s said that the Biden administration could "work a whole lot harder" on tackling inflation, she’s split with the White House on lifting Trump-era pandemic-related restrictions at the U.S-Mexico border, and has blasted Republican and Democrats in Congress for trading stocks while in office.

During last week's Senate debate, Beasley didn’t answer when asked if she would appear with Biden on stage if he visited the North Carolina campaign trail, and she declined to say if he should run for re-election in 2024.

Asked by Fox News if she’d welcome a stop by Biden to campaign in North Carolina ahead of next month’s election, she answered, "The president is welcome to North Carolina, and it’s great if he comes to see the successes and to also see our challenges. It’s very important that he do that."

Beasley heavily criticizes Budd for his stance on the combustible issue of abortion, which soared in importance in the wake of a late June blockbuster opinion by the Supreme Court’s conservative majority to overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade ruling and send the battle over legalized abortion back to the states.

"We know that this extremist position on abortion that Congressman Budd has taken is totally out of sync with how the majority of North Carolinians view this very important issue,’ Beasley charged. "With such an extreme position, it means that women with ectopic pregnancies and septic uteritis and miscarriages that their bodies will not release will not be able to get the lifesaving treatment that they need, which is an abortion, and it means that women will die. And that’s unacceptable, and I’m prepared to fight to make sure that Roe v. Wade becomes the law of the land."

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Budd is a co-sponsor of a bill authored by GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham of neighboring South Carolina that would implement a 15-week federal restriction on abortions. The measure includes some exceptions in the cases of rape, incest involving a minor, and when a woman’s life is in danger.

During last week’s debate between Beasley and Budd, the congressman said he supports exemptions for saving the life of a mother, but didn’t say if he backs other exemptions in a federal abortion law

Budd, at the debate, claimed that Beasley supports legalizing abortions up until birth, which she quickly denied.

Asked by Fox News if she supports any restrictions to abortion access, Beasley quickly answered: "I’ve been very clear in my position. I support the protections and the restrictions outlined in the framework of Roe v. Wade. And so that means that abortions later in pregnancy don’t happen unless there’s a serious problem with the pregnancy, and that’s risk to a mother’s health."

The latest polls indicate a very close contest between Beasley and Budd in a state that former President Donald Trump carried by a razor-thin margin in the 2020 election. An average of the latest public opinion surveys compiled by Real Clear Politics indicates Budd with a narrow 1.5-point edge over Beasley.

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But Democrats have been down this road before in North Carolina, only to experience disappointment. Republicans have won the last three Senate elections in the state, which were all competitive. 

Beasley noted, "I’ve been in tough fights before. I’ve never backed down and I won’t back down now. I’ve had two successful statewide elections. Here in North Carolina, of course, appellate judges run in contested statewide elections."

Trump’s endorsement of Budd and his support for the candidate at a rally in North Carolina ahead of the state’s primary was instrumental in helping the congressman secure the GOP nomination in a heavily contested race. And Trump returned to North Carolina a couple of weeks ago to campaign once again with Budd.

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Beasley has claimed that Budd is too close to the former president – and argued that Budd "has voted with his party 92% of the time. I have always vowed to be independent. I’m going to stand for what’s right. I’m going to call out what’s wrong and I’m going to lead courageously."

Fox News' Austin Westfall contributed to this report