RALEIGH, N.C. (WAVY) — 10 On Your Side’s Truth Tracker profiled the North Carolina State Senate District 3 race representing Northeast North Carolina.   

It is a newly drawn district that took the State Senator from the 1^st District and redrew him into the reconfigured third. The district includes 10 counties including Currituck, Camden, Gates, Bertie and Hertford. 

Current Republican State Senator Bobby Hanig is a small business owner facing off against challenger Democrat Valerie Jordan. 

“I am out in the district every day. Have I ever seen her out in the district? No, I have not,” Hanig told 10 On Your Side during an interview conducted at the North Carolina Visitors Center at the North Carolina-Virginia border.  

The Truth Tracker found this statement TRUE. 

10 On Your Side has not seen Jordan in the district either. She refuses to tell us where she is and also refused to do an on-camera interview, a zoom interview, or a phone interview. She refused to answer the questions we sent to her staff member. The only statement we got from her we are posting in its entirety at the end of this story.  We have pulled some of the statements to include in this report.  

“Valerie is running for State Senate in our district, but she lives in Raleigh,” added Hanig.   

It is true even the democrat-controlled Currituck County Electoral Board thought Valerie Jordan may not live in the 3rd Senate District required by North Carolina Law.   

“The three democratic members on the Currituck Electoral Board determined there was substantial evidence that there may be a violation of election law, that she did not live in the district,” said Currituck County Attorney Megan Morgan. 

This means they had three Democrats who thought the Democrat nominee herself may not live in the district.  

“That’s right and they decided to send it to the State Board of Elections to make the final decision on where she lived,” Morgan told 10 On Your Side. 

Then Jordan’s residency issue was sent to the democrat-controlled State Board of Elections.  

The board sided with the Democrat Valerie Jordan and determined it is TRUE she does reside in the district. 

“So it did not violate election law and she can stay on the ballot.” 

“Valerie is lost on the issues too,” a Hanig commercial stated.   

10 On your Side’s Truth Tracker finds that FALSE:  Whether she is lost on the issues is an opinion from her opponent.

 Jordan did send a statement which read:  

“I’m out in this district everyday talking to voters and what I’m hearing is that they need jobs, better access to healthcare, and lower healthcare costs.”  

Again, Truth Tracker has not seen her or heard from her. 

The Hanig Ad continues with what they claim she does:  “Disrespecting our national anthem” 

10 On Your Side asked Hanig about that and how she did that. 

“I’ll have to get back with you on that one. I’m not sure on that one,” Hanig responded.

Neither is Truth Tracker. 

We reminded Hanig that it is in his ad, and he should know what led to that claim.   

Hanig made a call to the “ad guy” and found out the statement came from an old 2017 social media post where Jordan supported Colin Kaepernick taking a knee during a football game by posting a picture of it on her Facebook page.  

It should be noted Jordan, herself, did not take the knee.  

The next claim in the ad against Jordan stated that she “opposed the deportation of criminal illegals”  

“Jordan has stated so,” said Hanig. “In the General Assembly, we passed an ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement) Bill that was vetoed by the Governor, and she stood behind that veto, and supported it.” 

Jordan refused to clarify her position, but she’s not elected to vote either way, nor does she have a record of voting on the ICE issue.  

It could be she verbally supported the Governor’s veto, but 10 On Your Side could not find it in a media search. 

“Valerie lives in Raleigh…But her liberal views…are from another planet,” the ad continued.

The Truth Tracker finds that FALSE.

It’s been determined she lives in the district even though fellow democrats found in Currituck County her abode status was questionable, and a legitimate concern to investigate which should give everyone pause.  

As for her issues, being from another planet, Hanig says Jordan is constantly mailing out her stand on abortion.  

“In every poll for Northeast North Carolina that I have seen, abortion ranks between 6 and 8. It just isn’t that important an issue. It just isn’t on the radar.” 

That is true. National Polls show the economy is by far the number one issue on the minds of voters, not abortion. 

“Valerie Jordan, she’s lost…She doesn’t live near us…She doesn’t think like us…and we don’t want her to represent us,” the ad concluded.

Jordan would only say this about the ad:  

 “My opponent is running an attack ad against me that is patently false. These outlandish lies are just an attempt to distract from his record of giving tax breaks to himself and his wealthy friends.”  

We asked Hanig about that. 

“I haven’t voted to give anyone tax breaks, but I do support lower taxes on small businesses that create jobs, that allows them to reinvest their money, and that grows our economy,” said Hanig. 

The Truth Tracker finds it TRUE that philosophy has a history of working in our economies.  

It is TRUE Valarie Jordan has never held elective office, but she has been appointed by Governor Roy Cooper to sit on the North Carolina State Board of Transportation, so it is TRUE, Valerie Jordan is someone who could be considered connected to state government and the Governor.  

Hanig also has another ad that runs on his Facebook page about him as opposed to the ad above that is only about Valerie Jordan. 

“I’m Bobby Hanig. Growing up, these were the coolest shoes, but my family couldn’t afford cool, so I went to work collecting hundreds of bottles and got me these shoes.” 

The shoes are black Chuck Taylor Converse All-Star basketball shoes. 

Hanig seems passionate about small business in the ad and in-person one-on-one.  

“Tax breaks for small businesses is the number one issue for me…and I fight for conservative values,” he continued. “They ask me what I’m going to do for the economy, for jobs, for gas prices, school safety, what our kids are being taught in school.” 

One issue Hanig says he is never asked about is abortion, which he opposes, but Hanig sponsored House Bill 31 which is called the Heartbeat Bill. 

“I was one of the sponsors of the Heartbeat Bill allowing abortions up to detectable heartbeat, and that week is somewhere between 6-10 weeks.” 

Pro-choice groups consider the Heartbeat Bill to be a restriction on abortion, and the bill was sent to committee and never voted on. 

Governor Roy Cooper then signed an executive order to protect women’s access to reproductive health care.  

Jordan supports a woman’s right to choose, and campaign mail sent to homes state that.  

After the interview, Wayne Evans came along, and we asked him about Senator Hanig. We asked him why he supports Hanig? 

“Why, because I can trust him, he’s been around the block, knows the rules, knows what is going on, and he gets results, that’s why I like him,” Evans said with a great deal of confidence.  

The shoe commercial ends,  

“I will work hard for you too. Cutting taxes, defending our values, and putting people ahead of politics. And yea. They’re [the shoes] are still pretty cool.” 

Truth Tracker finds it TRUE the Chuck Taylor Converse All Star Basketball shoe is the oldest most iconic basketball shoe there is.  

Early voting in North Carolina begins on Thursday, and election day is November 8.