Erika Harold: Default More Critical Than Shutdown

As negotiations continue in Washington, a Republican candidate from Urbana running for Congress says raising the government's debt limit to prevent a default is more critical than ending the partial government shutdown.

Attorney Erika Harold said a default would have serious ramifications on the nation’s economy and its presence in the international community. She said she would vote to repeal the Affordable Care Act, but when asked, would not say if she would vote for a clean continuing resolution in order to stop the shutdown.

“It’s unclear to me exactly what would be up right now,” Harold said. “I have no seen any bills that have been put up recently. So, I can’t say without knowing which specific bill we’re talking about, but I think the debate has moved on now to what happens on Oct. 17, and that’s what I’d be most focused on if I was in DC. What can we do to ensure that we don’t default because there’s no reason why we should do it.”

Harold is challenging Congressman Rodney Davis of Taylorville in next year’s GOP primary. Davis has said he supports voting for “clean” resolutions in individual spending bills.

The 13th Congressional district race is expected to be one of the most hotly contested races in the country.