Issues
James believes that schools in our district need better funding from the state. He feels our schools have been underfunded for a decade by the Republican leadership in the General Assembly. He will fight to change that. He believes that our teachers are being underpaid, causing them to go to other nearby states offering better pay. He also supports a statewide school infrastructure bond so that aging schools across the state can be safe and modern so every student can succeed. James is against the private school voucher program, which will funnel over $11 million dollars from public schools to unaccountable private schools in Guilford County alone in the 2026 school year. James Adams will work to restore that funding and more to our public schools who must serve all students. James will fight against defunding public schools to support unaccountable private schools.
James has worked hard his whole life – in oil refineries, in the US Army and in the retail sector. His father was a public school teacher. James knows the struggles everyday people face to pay their bills. He supports an increase in the minimum wage to bring NC into line with most other states who have already increased it and indexed it to inflation. He is in favor of reinstating the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) to help working families meet their basic needs and lessen the impact of taxes on them. He believes that corporations should pay a fair share of taxes, and that the Republicans in the General Assembly are wrong to be phasing out taxes for corporations. These corporations use our roads, our emergency services and other public services, so why should they not pay a tax to support them the same as residents do?
James has seen the devastating impacts of gun violence in High Point and has advocated for its victims. He believes the General Assembly is not doing enough to keep us safe. He supports comprehensive background checks, including local sheriff’s issuing permits for handguns. James would work to restore that requirement in NC. He supports common sense measures like safe storage laws, red flag laws and limits on the sale of high capacity magazines and bump stocks. He wants High Point residents to live free from the fear of random gun violence.
James wants to see a fair and non-discriminatory criminal justice system and to reduce NC’s high levels of incarceration. He supports reforms like requiring courts to consider alternatives to incarceration to keep primary caregivers with their children. He supports decriminalization of marijuana, ending solitary confinement, reducing court fees, and ending suspension of driving privileges for failure to pay court fees. He also supports giving justice-involved individuals a second chance and restoring the right to vote for persons on probation and parole.
James Adams was shocked when he learned that his opponent missed 44% of voting sessions in Raleigh. In conversations with other residents, he learned that some people didn’t even know who their representative was. The incumbent hadn’t been seen or heard from since the last election. There were no town halls or other opportunities to talk with him. James will be a stark contrast. He has been showing up to work his whole life. James is always out in his community, founding and working in a Black Farmers market, visiting shut ins, and serving as the President of the High Point Branch of the NAACP. He will show up in Raleigh so that High Point has a strong advocate there.
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