Buddy Carter has served six terms in the U.S. House representing the 1st Congressional District, which covers coastal Georgia. The Republican from St. Simons Island is seeking his party’s nomination for the U.S. Senate.

Here are his stances and record on key issues.

Affordability

Carter says the economy and employment are his top priorities in Congress. He touts his background as the owner of Carter’s Pharmacy, saying it gave him experience about how to balance budgets and create jobs.

Carter says tax cuts are the key to tackling the affordability crisis. He strongly supported President Donald Trump’s tax cut package last year that was part of his “One Big Beautiful Bill.”

The law reduced federal income taxes on overtime pay and tips, increased the child tax credit to $2,200 per child and raised the standard deduction. It also included cuts to Medicaid, food stamps and other social programs.

Although Carter has called for reining in spending, the Congressional Budget Office said the law will boost the national debt by $2.4 trillion from 2025-2034.

Immigration

Carter credits Trump for cracking down on illegal immigration at the nation’s borders. He says former President Joe Biden, a Democrat, threatened the United States’ sovereignty and citizens’ safety with lax policies that allowed so many immigrants into the country.

Carter says illegal immigration made the United States home to criminals and even terrorists.

Immigrants don’t commit crimes at a higher rate than non-immigrants, according to a 2024 analysis by the Brennan Center for Justice.

Carter cites the example of Laken Riley, a University of Georgia nursing student who was killed while jogging in 2024. A jury found Jose Antonia Ibarra, a Venezuelan man who entered the United States illegally, guilty of murder.

Carter voted for the Laken Riley Act, which was signed into law by Trump last year. It gives federal immigration agencies broad authority to detain migrants accused of a variety of crimes.

Iran

Carter says Trump’s decision to attack Iran prevented it from developing a nuclear weapon. He says the world is safer today because of the United States’ and Israel’s war on Iran.

Trump hasn’t provided evidence to support his claim the attacks “completely and totally obliterated” Iran’s nuclear facilities. A recent report by the news agency AFP said Iran’s nuclear ambitions have been set back, but Iran still possesses a significant stockpile of uranium.

Carter says he trusts Trump to negotiate with Iran.

When the war is over, Carter says Iran will no longer be the world’s largest state sponsor of terrorism.

Healthcare

As a pharmacist, Carter says he’s spent his career advocating for patients and working to reduce drug costs.

He has long encouraged Congress to pass a law limiting the use of middlemen, called pharmacy benefit managers, whom he says drive up the costs of prescription drugs and “put profits over patients.” He voted for a bill signed by Trump this year that proponents say will reduce prescription drug costs and increase transparency.

The law calls for pharmacy benefit managers to receive flat administrative fees rather than compensating them based on drug list prices, a change that reduces incentives to favor higher-priced drugs, according to the American Journal of Managed Care.

The law also requires PBMs to provide detailed information on prescription drug spending and allows the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to track payment trends to pharmacies.

Trump’s economic policies

Carter says Trump’s economic agenda “puts more money in the pockets of hardworking Americans” by cutting taxes last year. He says reducing federal taxes is the most direct way the government can support American workers.

The tax cuts, included in the “One Big Beautiful Bill,” reduced income taxes on overtime pay and tips, increase the child tax credit to $2,200 per year, raise the amount of the standard deduction and increase the cap on deductions for state and local taxes. The bill also eliminated clean energy tax credits passed while Biden was president, reduced Medicaid spending and expanded work requirements for food stamps.

Carter says Trump’s policies incentivize companies to stay in the United States rather than relocate to other countries.