McDowell was born and raised in Davidson County. He earned an undergraduate degree in political science and government from UNC Charlotte in 2016. After graduating, McDowell was a constituent liaison for Congressman (now U.S. Senator) Ted Budd. Most recently, he was registered with the state as a lobbyist for Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina until he resigned in 2023. He is married to his wife, Rachel, and has a daughter.
Our Q&A with Addison McDowell
NC Health News reached out to Addison McDowell’s campaign multiple times looking for answers to our list of questions and received no response. To give readers information, we combed the internet and social media for information, statements by McDowell and material from his official campaign website that could address the themes in our questions. Unfortunately, we were not able to find material to answer every question.
What would be your plan for ensuring the future security and strength of Medicare?
No response available. NC Health News could not find anything in the public record on this topic.
What would you support in Congress as a plan to help control health care and pharmaceutical costs?
No response available. NC Health News could not find anything in the public record on this topic.
Where do you stand on time limits for Medicaid and work requirements for the program?
No response available. NC Health News could not find anything in the public record on this topic.
How do you think Congress can improve access to child care?
No response available. NC Health News could not find anything in the public record on this topic.
Where do you stand on federal abortion limits? What gestational limits, if any, would you set?
McDowell states on his campaign website, “Every life, born or unborn, is a precious gift from God. I will vote 100% pro-life and will champion pro-life causes and legislation in Congress.”
When asked in a June FOX8 interview whether he would support the effort by some Republicans to push for a complete abortion ban, he responded, “I cannot speak to legislation that may or may not happen but I’m pro-life and that’s how I’m going to vote.”
What can the federal government do to support rural hospitals?
No response available. NC Health News could not find anything in the public record on this topic.
Where do you stand on restoring funding for the Affordable Connectivity Program?
No response available. NC Health News could not find anything in the public record on this topic.
PFAS contamination is a country-wide issue; How do you balance public safety and business interests with this issue?
No response available. NC Health News could not find anything in the public record on this topic.
Do you think the federal government is ready for the next pandemic? Why or why not?
No response available. NC Health News could not find anything in the public record on this topic.
What steps would you take to improve access to mental health services and to address the opioid overdose crisis?
McDowell said in an interview with FOX8 that his wife is a therapist and he sees how the waitlists at her practice fill as there’s a high need for mental health treatment.
“We need to be able to provide people the care they need — if that’s being creative with things like telehealth or loosening up the licensing requirements on the states that my wife could practice in — maybe that’s something we do,” McDowell said during the interview. “It boils down to giving people the care that they need and making it accessible.”
McDowell noted that the N.C. state legislature is a “beautiful example” of taking mental health needs seriously and making improvements, particularly the recent work of state Sen. Jim Burgin to secure historic investments in the state’s behavioral health system in the latest budget.
The overdose crisis is personal for McDowell. McDowell recounted how his brother Luke died from a fentanyl overdose in 2016 at age 20 in a campaign ad. A press release about the ad explains that his brother thought he was taking a Xanax pill but it was laced with fentanyl that was “likely manufactured in China and smuggled across the Southern border from Mexico.”
According to McDowell’s views on his campaign website, the Southern Border must be secured to stop the flow of illegal drugs coming into the United States. This is a key point of his platform and motivation for running for office.
Do you think the federal government should enforce stricter requirements for nonprofit hospitals to justify their tax exemptions? Why or why not?
No response available. NC Health News could not find anything in the public record on this topic.