Politics

Dr. Donaldson to run for Congress as Democrat

By Bill Moss, Published: September 20, 2017

Scott Donaldson, a Hendersonville urologist, plans to run for the 11th Congressional District as a Democrat.

“It is also true,” he said, confirming a report of his announcement in the Waynesville Mountaineer on Wednesday.

Donaldson ran as an independent for the Henderson County Board of Commissioners in 2010, emphasizing the need for health care for youth, especially the fight against obesity.

“I was an independent and independents don’t really win,” he told the Mountaineer. “But losses are more valuable than wins.”

In his campaign for the Board of Commissioners, Donaldson supported more recreation in the county and walking and bike trails, including the proposed Ecusta Trail from Hendersonville to Brevard.

Donald, 53, would bring his professional background to one of the most contentious issues Congress faces.

“There’s plenty of money in the health care,” he said. “It’s just misappropriated."

Donaldson would face Phillip Price in a Democratic primary.

In the 11th Congressional District, any Democratic nominee faces a steep climb. 

The district covering the southwestern corner of the state is one of the most Republican-leaning districts in North Carolina, a state rich in deep red districts drawn by the Republican Legislature in 2012 to ensure the GOP's dominance. Third-term Rep. Mark Meadows has become one of the most powerful members of Congress. As head of the conservative Freedom Caucus, he has the ability to win campaign donations and rally support from voters in the southern mountains and across the state and nation.

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