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  • 21 Aug, 2019

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David Price (U.S. Politician)
David Eugene Price (born August 17, 1940) is an American politician who was the U.S. representative for North Carolina's 4th congressional district from 1997 to 2023, previously holding the position from 1987 to 1995. A member of the Democratic Party, he represented a district covering much of the heart of the Triangle, including all of Orange County and parts of Wake and Durham counties. It included most of Raleigh, parts of Durham, and all of Cary and Chapel Hill. Price was the dean of North Carolina's delegation to the House of Representatives. He had announced that he would retire from Congress in 2022.

Early life and education

Born in Erwin, Tennessee, Price attended Mars Hill College when it was a junior college. He later transferred to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill after winning a Morehead Scholarship and became a member of the Dialectic and Philanthropic Societies. He earned his degree in 1961. Originally intent on becoming an engineer, Price continued his education at Yale University, where he received a theology degree (1964) and a Ph.D. in political science (1969).

Career

Price served as an aide to Alaska Senator Bob Bartlett from 1963 to 1967 and then entered academia, working as a political science and public policy professor at Duke University from 1973 until his first campaign for Congress in 1986. He also served as a Duke professor during 1995 and 1996, when he was not in Congress.

Price worked for the North Carolina Democratic Party from 1979 to 1984. He has written a political science textbook, The Congressional Experience, from the perspective of a candidate for office and then a member of Congress. Price also served as executive director and then state chair of the North Carolina Democratic Party before his election to Congress.

U.S. House of Representatives

Elections

1986–1992

Price first entered Congress in 1987 after defeating one-term Representative Bill Cobey, 56% to 44%. He was reelected in 1988 and 1990 with 58% of the vote. In 1992, he was reelected with 65%.

1994

In 1994, Price lost to the Republican nominee, former Raleigh police chief Fred Heineman, by a margin of less than 1% during the Republican Revolution, in part due to lower-than-expected turnout in the Democratic stronghold of Orange County (home to Chapel Hill), but despite the fact that heavily Republican Randolph County had been eliminated from the fourth district during redistricting.

1996

In 1996, Price defeated Heineman in a rematch, 54% to 44%. He was helped in part by voters who were not happy with the lack of progress made by the freshman class on the goals of the Contract with America.

1998–2006

The district reverted to form, and Price was reelected by wide margins in 1998 (57%), 2000 (62%), 2002 (61%), 2004 (64%), and 2006 (65%).

2008–2020

Price's opponent in the 2008 election was Republican B.J. Lawson. Lawson was called the most formidable opposition Price had faced since he lost to Heineman in 1994. For example, he ran television ads, which Price's opponents hadn't done in at least a decade. Despite Lawson's increased efforts and expenditures, Price defeated him, 63% to 37%.

Price launched his 2010 reelection campaign on September 8 of that year. Price defeated Lawson in a rematch, 56% to 44%.

In 2012, Price defeated the Republican nominee, businessman Tim D'Annunzio. In 2014, he defeated Republican Paul Wright, a trial lawyer, former District Court and Superior Court judge and 2012 candidate for governor of North Carolina. In 2016, Price defeated Republican nominee Sue Googe. In 2018, he defeated Republican nominee Steve Von Loor and Libertarian nominee Barbara Howe. The 4th district was reconfigured as a result of court-mandated redistricting in 2019. The new district shed much of its Raleigh sections in exchange for all of Durham County and several other more rural counties. In 2020, Price defeated Republican nominee Robert Thomas with more than 67% of the vote.

Tenure

Price in 1992

Price was an early opponent of the Iraq War of 2003 and sponsored a bill to bring the conduct of private military companies working in Iraq under legal jurisdiction of the United States. He has also introduced legislation to prohibit contractors from performing interrogations of prisoners in the custody of intelligence agencies.

As chairman of the 2008 House subcommittee responsible for determining the budget for the Department of Homeland Security, Price sought to focus immigration enforcement efforts on criminal convicts.

Price authored a provision of the Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997 that made the interest on student loans tax-deductible, and legislation creating the Advanced Technological Education program at the National Science Foundation, which provides grants for high-tech education in community colleges and was enacted in 1993. He voted for the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008, reasoning that "the harmful effects of the credit crisis on all North Carolinians were too great for the federal government to sit on the sidelines." and for "[defending] critical emergency management and homeland security priorities" received an award from the association of state emergency managers. In December 2009, he voted for the Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, which enacted more stringent regulations on the financial industry to protect consumers and taxpayers from another financial crisis.

Price was the author of legislation to reform the public financing system for presidential campaigns.

Price has opposed concentration of media ownership. He worked on legislative initiatives to roll back the FCC's 2003 rules and co-sponsored an unsuccessful bill to overturn another 2008 FCC approval of media consolidation. Price voted for the 2006 "Markey amendment" to establish network neutrality in the Communication Act of 1934.

In 2013, Price voted against the amendment to the Patriot Act that would have eliminated Section 215 and curtailed the National Security Agency's controversial data collection program.

On October 18, 2021, Price announced that he would not seek reelection.

Committee assignments

Caucus memberships

Price also chaired the House Democracy Assistance Commission.

Personal life

Price married his wife, Lisa Kanwit, in 1968. They were longtime Democratic Party activists together, and have two children: Karen, a filmmaker; and Michael, a professor of Evolutionary Psychology at Brunel University in London. They have three grandchildren. Price resides in Chapel Hill and is a member of the Binkley Memorial Baptist Church.

Price received the 2011 John Tyler Caldwell Award for the Humanities from the North Carolina Humanities Council.

Price is a Baptist.

Electoral history

1986 North Carolina U.S. Representative 4th congressional district election
Primary election
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic David Price 32,098 48.30
Democratic Wilma Woodard 21,422 32.23
Democratic William W. Webb 6,488 9.76
Democratic Kirsten Nyrop 6,450 9.71
Total votes 66,458 100.00
General election
Democratic David Price 92,216 55.66
Republican Bill Cobey (incumbent) 73,469 44.34
Total votes 165,685 100.00
Democratic gain from Republican
1988 North Carolina U.S. Representative 4th congressional district election
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic David Price (incumbent) 131,896 58.01
Republican Tom Fetzer 95,482 41.99
Total votes 227,378 100.00
Democratic hold
1990 North Carolina U.S. Representative 4th congressional district election
Primary election
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic David Price (incumbent) 51,122 91.32
Democratic Robert B. Coats 2,482 4.43
Democratic Paul E. Moore 2,377 4.25
Total votes 55,981 100.00
General election
Democratic David Price (incumbent) 139,396 58.07
Republican John H. Carrington 100,661 41.93
Total votes 240,057 100.00
Democratic hold
1992 North Carolina U.S. Representative 4th congressional district election
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic David Price (incumbent) 171,299 64.63
Republican LaVinia "Vicky" Rothrock Goudie 89,345 33.71
Libertarian Eugene Paczelt 4,416 1.67
Total votes 265,060 100.00
Democratic hold
1994 North Carolina U.S. Representative 4th congressional district election
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Fred Heineman 77,773 50.39
Democratic David Price (incumbent) 76,558 49.61
Total votes 154,331 100.00
Republican gain from Democratic
1996 North Carolina U.S. Representative 4th congressional district election
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic David Price 157,194 54.39
Republican Fred Heineman (incumbent) 126,466 43.76
Libertarian David Allen Walker 4,132 1.43
Natural Law Russell Wollman 1,201 0.42
Total votes 288,993 100.00
Democratic gain from Republican
1998 North Carolina U.S. Representative 4th congressional district election
Primary election
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic David Price (incumbent) 17,282 86.60
Democratic Ralph M. McKinney Jr. 2,675 13.40
Total votes 19,957 100.00
General election
Democratic David Price (incumbent) 129,157 57.43
Republican Tom Roberg 93,469 41.56
Libertarian Gary Goodson 2,284 1.02
Total votes 224,910 100.00
Democratic hold
2000 North Carolina U.S. Representative 4th congressional district election
Primary election
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic David Price (incumbent) 56,886 89.16
Democratic John W. Winters Jr. 6,919 10.84
Total votes 63,805 100.00
General election
Democratic David Price (incumbent) 200,885 61.65
Republican Jess Ward 119,412 36.64
Libertarian C. Brian Towey 5,573 1.71
Total votes 325,870 100.00
Democratic hold
2002 North Carolina U.S. Representative 4th congressional district election
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic David Price (incumbent) 132,185 61.18
Republican Tuan A. Nguyen 78,095 36.15
Libertarian Ken Nelson 5,766 2.67
Total votes 216,046 100.00
Democratic hold
2004 North Carolina U.S. Representative 4th congressional district election
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic David Price (incumbent) 217,441 64.10
Republican Todd Batchelor 121,717 35.88
Libertarian Maximilian Longley (write-in) 76 0.02
Total votes 339,234 100.00
Democratic hold
2006 North Carolina U.S. Representative 4th congressional district election
Primary election
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic David Price (incumbent) 39,520 89.52
Democratic Kent Kanoy 2,756 6.24
Democratic Oscar Lewis 1,873 4.24
Total votes 44,149 100.00
General election
Democratic David Price (incumbent) 127,340 64.99
Republican Steven Acuff 68,599 35.01
Total votes 195,939 100.00
Democratic hold
2008 North Carolina U.S. Representative 4th congressional district election
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic David Price (incumbent) 265,751 63.32
Republican B.J. Lawson 153,947 36.68
Total votes 419,698 100.00
Democratic hold
2010 North Carolina U.S. Representative 4th congressional district election
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic David Price (incumbent) 155,384 57.16
Republican B.J. Lawson 116,448 42.84
Total votes 271,832 100.00
Democratic hold
2012 North Carolina U.S. Representative 4th congressional district election
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic David Price (incumbent) 259,534 74.47
Republican Tim D'Annunzio 88,951 25.53
Total votes 348,485 100.00
Democratic hold
2014 North Carolina U.S. Representative 4th congressional district election
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic David Price (incumbent) 169,946 74.75
Republican Paul Wright 57,416 25.25
Total votes 227,362 100.00
Democratic hold
2016 North Carolina U.S. Representative 4th congressional district election
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic David Price (incumbent) 279,380 68.22
Republican Sue Googe 130,161 31.78
Total votes 409,541 100.00
Democratic hold
2018 North Carolina U.S. Representative 4th congressional district election
Primary election
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic David Price (incumbent) 52,203 77.09
Democratic Michelle Laws 11,120 16.42
Democratic Richard L. Watkins 4,391 6.49
Total votes 67,714 100.00
General election
Democratic David Price (incumbent) 242,067 71.96
Republican Steve A. "Von" Loor 82,052 24.39
Libertarian Barbara Howe 12,284 3.65
Total votes 336,403 100.00
Democratic hold
2020 North Carolina U.S. Representative 4th congressional district election
Primary election
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic David Price (incumbent) 153,322 86.68
Democratic Daniel Ulysses Lockwood 23,564 13.32
Total votes 176,886 100.00
General election
Democratic David Price (incumbent) 332,421 67.33
Republican Robert Thomas 161,298 32.67
Total votes 493,719 100.00
Democratic hold