Incumbent Carter, Herring face off in 1st Congressional District debate

Republican U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter, left, and Democrat Wade Herring -- the candidates in Georgia's 1st Congressional District, participated Tuesday in the Atlanta Press Club's Loudermilk-Young Debate Series. Screenshot via Atlanta Press Club Facebook page.

Credit: Custom

Credit: Custom

Republican U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter, left, and Democrat Wade Herring -- the candidates in Georgia's 1st Congressional District, participated Tuesday in the Atlanta Press Club's Loudermilk-Young Debate Series. Screenshot via Atlanta Press Club Facebook page.

U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter, who represents southeast Georgia, accused his Democratic challenger of misrepresenting his record during a debate Tuesday afternoon.

His stance on prescription drug prices is among the topics where Carter said Democrat Wade Herring had the facts wrong. Carter voted against legislation that caps the cost of insulin and out-of-pocket costs for people on Medicare. But he said he is still focused on lowering health care costs.

“As a pharmacist, no one in Congress has worked harder to bring prescription drug prices down than I have,” said the Republican, who lives in Pooler. “I think you could ask any side of the aisle that, and they would agree with that. The $35 co-pay on insulin: It only caps the co-pay. It does not cap the costs. That’s the problem.”

Carter said more transparency and holding accountable the middlemen, prescription benefit managers, would do more to address health care costs.

Carter is considered the front-runner in Georgia’s 1st Congressional District, where a majority of voters tend to support Republican candidates. But Herring has worked hard to build grassroots support, and during the last quarter he collected more in individual donations than Carter.

Herring said he has worked to reach voters in every county in the district and has especially focused on reaching Black voters, who make up 70% of the Democratic electorate.

“I’m a learner, I’m a listener, and I’ve reached out to the voters across the district — all 15 counties, Black and white, young and old — to let them know that in me they will have someone who represents everybody in the district.”