(This story has been updated to reflect that Nickel no longer serves as a U.S. representative.)

SALISBURY — Over the weekend, about 50 concerned Rowan County residents piled into Livingstone’s department of hospitality and culinary arts department building for a town hall event that featured an aspiring senator.

George Wilmarth “Wiley” Nickel III is an American attorney and Democratic politician who served as the U.S. representative for North Carolina’s 13th congressional district from 2023-2025. Nickel threw his name into the hat as a potential Democratic challenger to incumbent Thom Tillis for the 2026 senatorial race.

“This is not a time to sit on the sidelines, as working families across North Carolina struggle to make ends meet,” Nickel said in an email on Monday. “Trump and Thom Tillis are screwing them over to give tax cuts to billionaires. I’m talking to folks about a better option; I’m fighting for workers, for affordable housing, child care and health care. Those are the things that will make people’s lives better and make a difference.”

The event offered guests a chance to voice concerns over various matters of state and federal governance. One such concern was housing affordability, a topic that also arose during Healthy Rowan’s latest community health needs assessment process as a top issue affecting the county.

“I heard a lot from folks in Salisbury about the high cost of housing,” Nickel said. “Some folks are having a hard time making rent if they’re renting, and making the jump from renter to homeowner feels really unattainable. That’s an issue I worked on a lot in Congress and there’s a lot more work to do.”

Other questions focused on prospective cuts to Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security and financial woes stemming from President Donald Trump’s global economic policies.

“Folks are also rightfully concerned about what they’re hearing about tariffs and Trump’s latest budget,” Nickel said. “They rely on Medicare and Medicaid and Social Security to pay their bills and get their prescriptions. They have a lot of questions about what’s going to happen to them if those programs get cut. It’s certainly not going to help them, and that’s why I’m fighting so hard to protect those programs.”

Town hall organizer Scott Huffman, a veteran and former congressional candidate, offered that the attendees brought a wide range of issues to the table.

“We had good questions and concerns,” Huffman said. “One lady was very adamant about American bombs used in the genocide of Gaza. Women were upset about having to deal with their right to vote and we talked about cuts to medicaid, SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) and cancer research.”

Guests also had local concerns.

“One woman was very upset about Salisbury development turning into a ghost town like Concord as small businesses are forced out,” Huffman said.

Huffman described the discussion as productive.

“What struck me most importantly, someone made a comment about politicians doing this and that, and I pointed to the people on stage,” Huffman said. “One is a veteran, one is a nurse practitioner, one used to be a bartender turned distributor and another was a former New York police officer that retired to N.C.”

Catching a wide range of residents was important for Huffman seeking to gauge a broader audience.

“We are not a red county or a blue county,” Huffman said. “We are a red, white and blue county … I made sure this was a nonpartisan event. Anyone could come regardless of party affiliation.”

Huffman indicated that although they did not attend the event, Congressman Addison McDowell and Senators Tillis and Ted Budd were invited.

For his part, Nickel said that he was there because he believes visibility is crucial to campaigning and governance.

“I think it’s very important to do town hall meetings,” Nickel said. “If you’re asking for someone’s vote, you ought to have the courage to stand up and answer their questions and defend your positions.”

Nickel added that as a congressman, he held 16 town halls in two years.

“It helps me to hear directly from working people and understand how the federal system impacts them on a daily basis, and what I can do to help,” Nickel said. “It gives me the chance to talk about solutions, not just the problems. And voters need to be heard, we don’t get enough of that from our lawmakers.”

Additionally, the event featured a food drive.

“We had large food donations,” Huffman said. “We probably had about 150 cans of food. That was key. With cuts coming to SNAP and to school lunches there will be a big food deficit and food insecurity will be higher than it is now. Right now, 2 in 5 people are having food insecurity issues. We need to address that instead of cutting stuff.”