Republican candidate for North Carolina’s fourth congressional district, Sue Googe, visited Elon University in an event hosted by the Elon Political Forum and Elon College Republicans Tuesday evening. The event featured a short speech by Googe and a round of questions from both EPF moderators and crowd members.
Googe, a native of China, shared stories of her childhood under a communist government and how her upbringing affects her political stances today.
“Right now, in our country, we’re heading a different route because of something we call political correctness," Googe said. “Political correctness is similar to what I had in China as a child. When you get used to being silenced, you totally ignore common sense or your inner drive or inner desire. That’s how slavery is formed.”
During the event, Googe stated her support for Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump. Though all of her ideals do not align with the Trump's, Googe’s speech did highlight her disagreement with current establishment politics and a fear of spreading political correctness in U.S. political and social scenes.
In addition to her strong advocacy for the exercise of free speech, Googe’s message focused on how future generations have the power and responsibility to shape the country going forward, citing the fractious current election and divided political attitude in the United States.
“Our country is at a crossroads right now, and you need to decide how you will define your mission — your generation," Googe said. “Your grandparents fought communism and fascism. Your generation will fight for First Amendment rights. What are you going to do to make this country better and pass down to future generations?”
During the audience Q&A portion of the event, Googe fielded questions covering topics across the political board, such as gun legislation, North Carolina’s House Bill Two and immigration reform.
She is running to represent North Carolina’s fourth district, which covers large parts of Raleigh and Orange County. Though Burlington and Elon are not in the fourth district, Googe visited Elon as part of the EPF’s effort to include a diverse variety of voices and political opinions.
"We bring in a plethora of different guest speakers," said Jay Schulte, president of the Elon Political Forum. “We’re really excited just to expand political awareness on campus and make sure everybody’s opinions are being heard. That way we can present a non-partisan, fair and equal balance of different opinions for the general population that’s embodied here.”
See footage from Googe's visit below.