Tariffs decision: Where NC candidates for Congress stand after SCOTUS ruling

A Supreme Court ruling with global economic implications on Friday struck down most of the tariffs President Donald Trump has implemented in the past year.

The U.S. Constitution says Congress, not the president, has power over tariffs. Trump claimed emergency powers to let him get around that, but the Supreme Court rejected that logic, striking down the majority of Trump’s tariffs and affirming the role of Congress in setting trade policy.

Tariffs are a tax on imported goods. The basic idea is to make foreign products more expensive, in order to help level the playing field for American companies struggling against competitors with cheaper goods. Economists tend to see them as outdated and ineffective, and a contributing factor to high inflation, but Trump says they’ll help protect or create American jobs if kept in place.

Even before Friday’s ruling, tariffs were a salient topic of debate in 2026 congressional races in North Carolina.

During a debate Thursday night between four Republican candidates seeking to take on Democratic U.S. Rep. Don Davis in northeastern North Carolina, tariffs were the very first topic the candidates were asked to discuss.

U.S. House 

The ensuing trade wars surrounding Trump’s tariffs have hit farmers particularly hard, as nations such as China — a major destination for North Carolina pork and tobacco — have retaliated. Davis’ district is one of the most rural, heavily agricultural parts of the state.

During Thursday’s 1st Congressional District debate, three of the four GOP candidates on stage acknowledged the financial pain local farmers are feeling. But all four of them supported keeping the tariffs in place, saying they trusted Trump’s vision.

• “It's absolutely hurting their livelihood,” candidate Eric Rouse said. “... But Trump is a master negotiator. He knows what he's doing.”
• “Farmers, they understand we have a short-term pain for long-term gain,” candidate Bobby Hanig said.
• “It's time that we level the playing field,” candidate Laurie Buckhout said. “And I know that President Trump is doing that, and it takes some time.”
• “The folks that I talk to understand that sometimes there has to be some short-term pinch in order to affect a long-term gain and level the playing field,” candidate Asa Buck said.

Davis told WRAL News that he sees tariffs as useful in certain cases but that Trump’s approach has gone too far. He also indicated that having tariff policy run by hundreds of people in Congress, rather than a single person in the White House, should help ensure stability and predictability.

“Tariffs in select cases can be vital for tackling unfair trade practices,” Davis said. “However, the current wide-reaching and unpredictable approach has hurt farmers and manufacturers in eastern North Carolina. With the Supreme Court’s ruling, Congress can reclaim its authority to shape trade policy that targets bad actors without alienating valued allies. Trade chaos does not help eastern North Carolina families.”

U.S. Senate 

The tariff debate is magnified in the U.S. Senate, where margins for votes to pass are much smaller than in the U.S. House of Representatives.

The two frontrunners in their respective party primaries, Democrat Roy Cooper and Republican Michael Whatley, have deeply opposed views.

Whatley has strongly supported Trump’s tariffs. He didn’t respond to WRAL’s request for comment on Friday, but his campaign told WRAL News in November that Trump’s approach “will create jobs, raise wages, expand opportunity, and make our state affordable again.”

Cooper, meanwhile, has made his opposition to Trump’s tariffs a key part of his campaign. One of his first public campaign events was at a Wilson County farm, focusing on the financial losses farmers are suffering.

Some of their challengers in the Republican and Democratic primaries also weighed in Friday in response to WRAL’s questions on how they’d vote on tariffs if elected.

Democratic U.S. Senate candidates

• Marcus W. Williams: "I would not vote to keep any tariff in place that is based merely on whim or unmeasurable personal sentiment. International businesses and U.S. commercial business interests need stability and predictability in order to prosper and flourish: any tariff imposed should be equitable and have a sound empirical basis when analyzed on elements of comparative trade."
• Roy Cooper: “This erratic and chaotic trade war has raised costs on hardworking families and small businesses across North Carolina who are already grappling with high prices and expensive health care. Working families are getting crushed and this ruling is clear — these tariffs are unlawful and have got to end.”
• Orrick Quick: “Tariffs themselves are not inherently wrong. Strategic tariffs can protect American workers, farmers, and manufacturers — especially in North Carolina. But they must be constitutional, targeted, and economically sound. If elected, I would not vote to ‘keep all’ or ‘remove all’ tariffs blindly. I would review each tariff individually.”
• Justin Dues: “The Supreme Court's decision is a resounding win for the Constitution, which in Article I gave Congress the powers of the purse, the ability to tax and tariff, etc. Trump should try reading the founding documents, he may learn a thing or two.”
• Daryl Farrow: Did not respond.
• Robert Colon: Did not respond.

Republican U.S. Senate candidates

• Thomas Johnson: “North Carolina agriculture feeds the southeastern United States. Poultry, pork and row crops need relief through tariff exemptions so the savings can be passed along to our citizens at the grocery store. … All tariffs can be right-sized and market-adjusted to prioritize national security, economic prowess and a lifestyle that fits every American's budget.”
• Richard Dansie: “Tariffs are a useful tool against unfair trade, but the Constitution assigns tariff authority to Congress. A sensible solution is to give the president a temporary, limited tariff authority, for example, 60 days, while Congress reviews and decides whether to endorse, modify, rescind or allow them to expire.”
• Don Brown: “Tariffs are not an across-the-board solution, but they can be highly effective when used strategically and situationally. That’s the key — targeted use, not blanket policy. When nations like China — and at times certain EU countries — abuse trade relationships in ways that undermine American jobs, production, and national strength, tariffs are fair game. From a strategic standpoint, the threat of a tariff can sometimes be as powerful as the tariff itself. We’ve seen instances where leverage alone has brought negotiating partners to the table without long-term economic harm. That said, if and when tariffs begin hurting North Carolina farmers, manufacturers, or consumers, it’s time to recalibrate and back off. Tariffs should function as a pressure valve — not a permanent tax burden on our own people.”
• Michele Morrow: Did not respond.
• Michael Whatley: Did not respond.