Robbinsville – First-time Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate Atul Goel visited Graham County on Friday, introducing himself to voters as he works his way through every county in North Carolina.
An Air Force veteran who served in both Iraq and Afghanistan, Goel currently serves as the state’s medical consultant for the Department of Health and Human Services’ Vocational Rehabilitation Services, but it was his experience as a practicing doctor that inspired him to run for office.
A 30-year resident of Raleigh, Goel “knows the health care system inside and out” and holds “affordable health care access for everyone” as the main tenet of his campaign.
However, he does not claim to have all the answers for achieving the goal of universal healthcare.
“I’m not going to pretend that Raleigh is the same as Graham County,” Goel said. “We have to figure out different answers for different situations.”
Another focus is to “reduce gun violence.” The owner of both handguns and long guns, Goel is a member of a shooting club and said, “I don’t want anyone taking my guns away.”
He does, however, see a need to combine common-sense gun control with improved mental healthcare services and innovative policing techniques, in order to reduce the number of U.S. gun deaths.
Goel also supports a “humane immigration policy” and a military strategy that includes “treating our allies better,” including the ones he served with during his overseas deployments.
If elected, Goel expects to “work day in and day out to represent the entire state.” In the meantime, his “old-fashioned,” door-to-door campaign will continue to take him to every nook and cranny of our state.
For details, visit atulgoelforsenate.com.