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Republican Presidential Candidates Weigh In On North Carolina's HB2 Law

Republican presidential candidates Donald Trump and Ted Cruz respond to North Carolina's new HB2 law. Photo Credit: Wikipedia

North Carolina's controversial House Bill 2, best known for its so-called “bathroom provision,” is in the national spotlight once again. Two presidential candidates are sparring over the legislation.

Republican Donald Trump spoke out against HB2 on Thursday, saying the state should have left it “the way it was.” His rival, Ted Cruz, responded by saying the law is common sense and tweeted that “grown men shouldn't be in bathrooms w/little girls”.

House Bill 2 has several provisions, including one that requires transgender people to use public bathrooms that match their biological sex.

David Coates is a political scientist at Wake Forest University. While this has been an unpredictable campaign, he says Trump's opposition to the law could hurt him, if the Republicans end up in a contested convention.

“He's going to need every conference delegate he can get his hands on and the chances are that coming out so strongly against HB2, or at least allowing Ted Cruz to be the person championing HB2, is likely to reinforce Cruz's chances of doing well at the convention,” says Coates.

Trump currently leads the Republican delegate count. He won North Carolina's primary in March, while Ted Cruz came in second.

*Follow WFDD's Keri Brown on Twitter @kerib_news.

Keri Brown is a multi-award winning reporter and host at 88.5 WFDD. She has been honored with two regional Edward R. Murrow awards for her stories about coal ash, and was named the 2015 radio reporter of the year by the Radio Television Digital News Association of the Carolinas (RTDNAC).Although she covers a variety of topics, her beats are environmental and education reporting.Keri comes to the Triad from West Virginia Public Broadcasting, where she served as the Chief Bureau Reporter for the Northern Panhandle. She produced stories for the state's Public Television and Radio programs and was honored by the West Virginia Associated Press Broadcasters Association for her feature and enterprise reporting.She also served as an adjunct instructor at Wheeling Jesuit University and Bethany College in West Virginia. She worked with the Center for Educational Technologies in Wheeling, WV, and other NASA centers across the country to develop several stories about the use of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) concepts in the classroom.Keri's journalism career began at WTRF-TV 7 in Wheeling. She worked in several roles at the station, including the head assignment editor. She also was a field producer and assignment manager at WPGH-TV Fox 53 in Pittsburgh.Keri is a graduate of Ohio University. When she's not in the studio or working on a story, she enjoys watching college football with her family, cooking, and traveling.Keri is always looking for another great story idea, so please share them with her. You can follow her on Twitter @kerib_news.

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