Shannon Bray, a Louisiana-born U.S. Navy veteran (1991–1997) works in information technology, software development and information security.
Candidate Q&A
NC Health News reached out to Bray’s campaign multiple times looking for answers to our list of questions. We did not receive answers to our questions by the time of publication. To give readers information, we combed the internet and social media for statements by Bray and material from his campaign website that could address the themes in our questions.
What do you see as the biggest financial and administrative challenge to implementing the work requirements for Medicaid that were included in the One Big Beautiful Bill?
Bray has not said anything publicly about the One Big Beautiful Bill. His campaign website says his view on health care is: “healthcare decisions should be made by patients and doctors — not Washington.”
He says he supports repealing top-down federal healthcare mandates and state-led healthcare solutions.
What would be your plan for ensuring the future security/strength of Social Security and Medicare?
“I have examined several of the proposed policies and feel the best plan forward would be similar to Pete’s Medicare for All Who Want It plan; it is projected that it will cost about $1.5 trillion over 10 years. It will be paid for by rolling back the Trump corporate tax cuts, which will generate $1.4 trillion in revenue, and the rest from cost savings that result from empowering the federal government to negotiate drug prices with pharmaceutical companies. It is important not to modify health care plans that are working for people,” Bray told Indy Week in a 2020 candidate questionnaire. He also said Medicare should be expanded to cover gaps in the VA system for veterans.
Bray told Indy Week that the social security program has filed to live up to what was promised.
“One point that I have heard many times is that it was supposed to be similar to an insurance plan but in reality it has become an income redistribution plan that takes money from the less wealthy and gives it to the more wealthy. Experts state Social Security trust fund will be tapped out by 2034, and at that point Social Security beneficiaries would have to start taking 77 cents on the dollar for their promised benefits. In other words, if you’re a wage-earning worker 48 years old or younger, say goodbye forever to a good part of that paycheck withholding money. It’s not like any of this should come as shock to most of the people who will be affected. I am quite happy to find a way to fix it though!”
What would you support in Congress as a plan to help control health care/ pharmaceutical costs?
Bray’s campaign website says he supports expanding Health Savings Accounts, increasing price transparency, as well as free markets and voluntary solutions.
What steps would you take to improve access to health care in rural areas? How do we make the Rural Health Transformation Program successful in North Carolina?
“Affordable access to healthcare is one of North Carolina’s most urgent challenges, particularly in rural communities. Families should not face financial ruin because someone becomes sick, and geography should not determine whether a patient can reach a doctor,” Bray said in a recent Fayetteville Observer candidate questionnaire.
“I would support legislation requiring genuine price transparency, increasing competition among insurers and providers, protecting patients with preexisting conditions, expanding telehealth, strengthening community and rural healthcare facilities, and removing federal barriers that prevent independent practices from competing with large systems. I would also demand measurable performance standards and independent audits for federally funded programs. Healthcare reform should give patients more control while ensuring that vulnerable people are not abandoned by a system they helped finance.”
The rollout of AI is moving fast, including in health care, and leaders in that space are calling for things to slow down. What federal moves should be taken to regulate it, if at all?
On his website, Bray wrote that AI companies should be required to obtain revocable consent before using people’s data to train AI models, maintain auditable records and stop using the data in future training if permission is withdrawn. But he also sees it as a valuable tool.
“Artificial intelligence enables real-time optimization of energy use. AI systems can prioritize critical infrastructure, smooth demand spikes, and dynamically allocate power based on real needs—not static assumptions. This reduces waste, prevents overloads, and extends the life of local systems during emergencies,” Bray wrote in a 2025 blog post.
“AI can act as a digital guide, not a gatekeeper,” Bray wrote in another blog post. “Used responsibly, AI assistants can: Answer common questions instantly. Explain requirements in plain language. Help users find the right service. Flag missing information before submission. This reduces errors, shortens processing time, and lets human staff focus on complex cases — where judgment actually matters.”
Where do you stand on federal vaccine policy? What should be done to prevent future disease outbreaks?
“For infectious diseases, government should work to maintain access to vaccines, diagnostics, treatment, and reliable public-health information. Individuals should have access to credible information about benefits, risks, and uncertainties so that they can make informed healthcare decisions with their medical providers,” Bray said in a Scientist Network for Advancing Policy candidate questionnaire.
“Emergency preparedness is equally important. North Carolina faces hurricanes, flooding, emerging diseases, infrastructure failures, cybersecurity incidents, and other hazards. Preparedness should include resilient communications, healthcare capacity, interoperable emergency systems, supply-chain planning, and regular exercises involving state, local, private-sector, and community organizations.
Public-health authority carries significant responsibility. Policies should therefore be evidence-based, transparent about their rationale, periodically reassessed as evidence changes, and subject to appropriate public and legislative oversight.”
We’ve had some high-profile food contamination outbreaks, yet the federal government is pulling back on regulation of food, air and water. What level of federal regulation do you support and why?
“Regulatory agencies like Food and Drug Administration and Department of Agriculture are tasked with oversight, but they are often forced to rely on delayed, incomplete, or self-reported data. More paperwork and more bureaucracy will not fix this. Visibility will,” Bray wrote in a 2025 blog post.
“Using immutable supply-chain logs — often described as “blockchain-style” systems — we can create a shared, tamper-resistant record of a product’s journey from origin to end user. This does not require cryptocurrencies, speculation, or hype. It is simply a modern way to ensure that records cannot be quietly altered after the fact.”
PFAS contamination is a nationwide issue; how do you address it while balancing public safety and business interests?
“Government has a legitimate responsibility to protect people from hazards they cannot reasonably evaluate or mitigate individually, particularly contamination of shared resources, infectious disease threats, unsafe public infrastructure, and environmental hazards,” Bray said in a Scientist Network for Advancing Policy candidate questionnaire.
“That responsibility should be exercised through evidence, transparency, and proportionality.
“For environmental risks such as PFAS, asbestos, or contaminated drinking water, government should support rigorous testing, make results readily accessible to affected communities, identify responsible parties where possible, and establish remediation priorities based on measurable health risks.”
The building and placement of data centers have become a big issue, particularly in many rural communities. What should be the federal government’s role, if any, in how these are developed?
“North Carolina should welcome technological investment, including data centers and the infrastructure supporting artificial intelligence, but economic development should not depend upon transferring infrastructure costs to families and small businesses,” Bray said in a Scientist Network for Advancing Policy candidate questionnaire.
“Data centers can bring investment, tax revenue, construction, and technology jobs to communities. They can also consume substantial electricity and water and place additional demands on transmission, generation, and local infrastructure. Those costs and benefits need to be evaluated transparently.
“Before major projects receive public incentives or special consideration, communities should have access to credible estimates of electricity demand, water consumption, infrastructure requirements, environmental impacts, and the expected public costs and benefits.
“Where a project creates extraordinary new infrastructure requirements, the entity creating that demand should bear an appropriate share of those costs rather than quietly shifting them onto existing ratepayers.
“I also support encouraging technologies that reduce the resource footprint of computing, including advanced cooling systems, water reuse, energy-efficient hardware, waste-heat recovery where practical, distributed energy resources, and new generation technologies.”
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