Ager bases his campaign on a “clear, fair, and realistic” immigration reform that balances public safety with the needs of the workforce and the dignity of individuals. He has criticized recent federal immigration enforcement actions, calling them “troubling” and stating that ICE agents must operate within constitutional limits. He says an organized immigration system is needed that allows people to enter the country with the appropriate visas and supports a path to citizenship for at least some undocumented immigrants who have lived in the United States for years. At a campaign forum in February, Ager said he would support impeaching former Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem for her role in immigration enforcement actions in Minnesota.

Ager is campaigning on a platform that includes making health care affordable and accessible for everyone, among other things, by promoting a public option. He has criticized the federal government for “seizing” Medicaid coverage and doing little to address rising health care costs. He supports restoring the expanded subsidies that once helped many people pay for insurance through the Affordable Care Act, though he presents them as a temporary fix, a “Band-Aid,” for a larger problem.

Ager's campaign argues that wages haven't kept pace with rising household expenses and that solutions include tax credits, expanded government programs, and lower tariffs. She's calling for tax reform to ensure wealthier individuals pay their fair share, while providing targeted tax relief for working families, such as eliminating taxes on tips.

Education is not a core part of Ager's campaign platform, though he mentions supporting personal financial education and sending food from local farms to schools in the region. He has received the endorsement of the National Education Association, but has not taken a public stance on teacher salaries or vouchers for private schools.

Agriculture is central to Ager's campaign; he runs a farm in Fairview where he raises cattle, pigs, and poultry. He hasn't released a detailed platform on job security specifically for farm and construction workers, but his campaign's immigration platform explicitly states that immigration reforms must consider the workforce businesses need to grow.

In July, Ager expressed support for a short-term moratorium on new data centers until there are “clear rules” in place to protect land, water, and the power grid, and to ensure that costs are not passed on to local communities. He has not yet presented a comprehensive AI policy or regulatory agenda.

Ager says rising housing prices are a major concern for the region and include housing as part of his platform. His proposal to address rising prices and the lack of affordable housing focuses on supply. He supports building more housing for both owner-occupiers and renters, as well as expanding access to programs for first-time homebuyers and public service employees.

In the past, Balkcom has taken a strong stance in favor of immigration enforcement, stating as a top priority that “undocumented immigrants who commit crimes” serve their full sentences and then be deported. As a member of the state General Assembly, he sponsored bills requiring local sheriffs to cooperate with federal immigration agents, expanding the criminal offenses that trigger immigration status checks, and requiring some state agencies to verify immigration status before granting public benefits. More recently, he voted for the North Carolina Border Control Act, which requires many law enforcement agencies to establish formal cooperation agreements with ICE.

Balkcom has consistently opposed Medicaid expansion in North Carolina, citing cost concerns when she campaigned against the measure in 2022 and voting against the expansion when she took office in the General Assembly in 2023. She has previously stated that she prefers free-market solutions for healthcare but considers it unrealistic to completely eliminate Medicaid and Medicare. She also believes it is unconstitutional for schools or businesses to require mandatory vaccinations.

The central message of Balkcom's campaign is that household expenses are too high for many families. He says the solution includes tax cuts, limits on future tax increases, and fewer regulations. In the state House of Representatives, he supported a measure to place a constitutional amendment on the November ballot, allowing voters to decide whether to permit the General Assembly to set limits on property taxes. He also voted for another constitutional amendment to cap the state income tax rate at 3.5%.

While campaigning for a seat in the state House of Representatives, Balkcom called for increased state spending on public education, including higher salaries for teachers. At the same time, she has supported expanding North Carolina's school voucher program, voting to eliminate the income limit and for the state to participate in a federal program offering tax credits for donations to private schools. On social media, she posted that she believes "parents should have a voice and be able to choose their children's education."

Balkcom grew up on a farm, and his campaign regularly promotes the role of agriculture in his district's economy. He frequently speaks about protecting farms and agriculture, but he has not specifically addressed issues related to migrant farmworkers, such as H-2A visas. In the state House of Representatives, Balkcom supported bills to improve excavation safety for construction workers and increase certain workers' compensation benefits. Although bills have been introduced in the General Assembly to establish a heat protection standard for farmworkers and prohibit local sheriffs from assisting ICE in operations at farms or construction sites, none have reached the House floor, so Balkcom has not voted on those measures.

As a legislator, Balkcom has supported statewide restrictions on data centers to protect water, utility payers, landowners, and local communities. She also voted for a bill to limit the use of AI in healthcare and insurance decisions.

Affordable housing is one of Balkcom's campaign priorities; so far, she has highlighted her work in the General Assembly to contain property tax increases and was the lead sponsor of a bill to help in housing recovery after Hurricane Helene.

In a 2020 candidate questionnaire, Groo indicated that he believed anyone should be able to immigrate to the United States and noted that the system needs reform to make it simpler and less expensive. He also said he opposed building a border wall and did not believe local law enforcement agencies should be required to cooperate with ICE. His current campaign does not list immigration as a top priority.

In a 2024 candidate questionnaire, Groo rejected government intervention in health care and advocated for defunding Medicaid and Medicare. But this year she signed the National Breast Cancer Coalition's congressional policy platform, which calls on the federal government to guarantee Medicaid coverage for treating low-income women with breast cancer. Her main campaign issue related to health care is eliminating state Certificate of Need laws.

Groo's campaign has identified balancing the federal budget and eliminating the income tax as two of its top three priorities. In a 2023 op-ed, he stated that inflation was impacting North Carolina families and, in the context of healthcare, advocated for fewer regulations, more choices, and private competition.

Groo has directly advocated for greater school choice and stated in a 2020 essay that money alone will not solve the underlying problems of a dysfunctional school district. Instead, he says that underperforming schools should close if they cannot improve their results and that state funding should guide students to the school their parents deem best.

Groo advocates for less government intervention in people's lives, including less job regulation. He has not made any specific statements regarding farm or construction workers.

Groo has not taken a direct stance on data centers or AI regulation, but, in general terms, it strongly supports less government intervention in business, greater local control, and an end to government subsidies.

During his 2023 campaign for Holly Springs City Council, Groo argued that housing costs were rising due to zoning regulations and other government restrictions. He supports relaxing those restrictions, allowing for a wider range of housing options, and letting increased supply drive prices down.