CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The 14th Congressional District covers much of south and west Charlotte as well as most of the eastern part of Gaston County.
WCNC's Jane Monreal talked to the candidates running for the 14th Congressional District about their reasons to run for office.
Democratic state Senator Jeff Jackson and Republican businessman Pat Harrigan are both veterans who served in Afghanistan.
Harrigan says his reasons for going into politics stem from having a family.
The former Green Beret said, "My wife and I have two little girls. And we're very concerned about what kind of America they're going to get to grow up with, and what kind of opportunity they're going to have in their lives."
Harrigan said he entered public service following the fall of Afghanistan.
"Politics has never been a trajectory for me in my life, but I became very switched on when Afghanistan went downhill," Harrigan said. "I really could not reconcile how we had a chief executive in this country, who could bookend his political career on one side with a disastrous withdrawal out of Vietnam. And then somehow, 45 years later, allow the exact same thing to happen when he's the commander in chief withdrawing out of Afghanistan."
A state legislator for eight years, Jackson said work needs to be done at both the national and state levels but started his campaign locally.
"I said I'm going to knock on one thousand doors personally over summer. It was Republican. Independent," Jackson said. "It was just a wonderful education about what folks actually want and are talking about. Housing comes up a lot. Water and sewer come up a lot. So the idea is, independent of how people feel about national politics, also have a real local agenda."
The state legislator for the last eight years said he expects the unexpected if he wins the seat in Washington.
"I've spent zero days in Congress in my life. I sense the fastballs are just a lot faster at the federal legislature than the state legislature," Jackson said. "I'm going to get my bearings. We're going to slow a few things down for a few weeks. And we're just going to make sure we are ready to ramp up."
Both Jackson and Harrigan will address gun reform, abortion and education on Sunday's Flashpoint at 11 a.m.
Flashpoint is a weekly in-depth look at politics in Charlotte, North Carolina, South Carolina, and beyond with host Ben Thompson. Listen to the podcast weekly.
SUBSCRIBE: Apple Podcasts || Spotify || Stitcher || Google Podcasts
All of WCNC Charlotte's podcasts are free and available for both streaming and download. You can listen now on Android, iPhone, Amazon, and other internet-connected devices. Join us from North Carolina, South Carolina, or on the go anywhere.
Contact Jane Monreal at jmonreal@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.