Ada M. Fisher (October 21, 1947 – October 7, 2022) was an American physician from
Salisbury, North Carolina
Salisbury is a city in the Piedmont region of North Carolina, United States; it has been the county seat of Rowan County since 1753 when its territory extended to the Mississippi River. Located northeast of Charlotte and within its metropolita ...
, and a frequent
Republican candidate for office. She challenged incumbent
Mel Watt in
North Carolina's
12th Congressional district in 2004 and 2006. Fisher said that she would like to be the first black Republican female elected to Congress; however,
Mia Love
Mia, MIA, or M.I.A. may refer to:
Music Artists
* M.I.A. (rapper) (born 1975), English rapper and singer
* M.I.A. (band), 1980s punk rock band from Orange County, California
* MIA., a German rock/pop band formed in 1997
* Mia (singer) (born 1983 ...
actually became the first black Republican female elected to Congress.
A life member of the
NAACP
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is a civil rights organization in the United States, formed in 1909 as an interracial endeavor to advance justice for African Americans by a group including W. E.&nb ...
and a lifelong Republican, Fisher was the
Republican National Committeewoman for the state of North Carolina.
Early life and education
Born on October 21, 1947,
Fisher was the daughter of Rev. Miles Mark Fisher of
Durham, North Carolina
Durham ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the county seat of Durham County, North Carolina, Durham County. Small portions of the city limits extend into Orange County, North Carolina, Orange County and Wake County, North Carol ...
, himself the son of a former
slave
Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...
[
] and his
Seminole Indian wife. Rev. Fisher was also a Republican,
as was her grandfather,
who was freed by the
Emancipation Proclamation
The Emancipation Proclamation, officially Proclamation 95, was a presidential proclamation and executive order issued by United States President Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863, during the Civil War. The Proclamation changed the legal sta ...
when he was ten years old.
Fisher attended Durham public schools, graduating from
Hillside High School with honors. She then graduated from the
University of North Carolina at Greensboro with a degree in
biology.
Fisher went on to earn her medical degree from the
University of Wisconsin and a
master's in public health
The Master of Public Health or Master of Philosophy in Public Health (M.P.H.), Master of Science in Public Health (MSPH), Master of Medical Science in Public Health (MMSPH) and the Doctor of Public Health (Dr.P.H.), International Masters for Healt ...
from
Johns Hopkins University.
Fisher converted to Judaism.
Career
Upon receiving her medical degree, Fisher participated in a residency at the
University of Rochester in family medicine.
She later ran a
rural North Carolina health clinic and a 16-county
substance abuse
Substance abuse, also known as drug abuse, is the use of a drug in amounts or by methods which are harmful to the individual or others. It is a form of substance-related disorder. Differing definitions of drug abuse are used in public health, ...
program.
In addition, she worked for two
Fortune 500
The ''Fortune'' 500 is an annual list compiled and published by ''Fortune'' magazine that ranks 500 of the largest United States corporations by total revenue for their respective fiscal years. The list includes publicly held companies, along ...
companies, including medical director for
Amoco in
Chicago.
Before retiring in 2000 due to a leg disability, Fisher served as Chief of Occupational Health Services at the
W.G. "Bill" Hefner Veterans Affairs Medical Center
The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) is the component of the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) led by the Under Secretary of Veterans Affairs for Health that implements the healthcare program of the VA through a national ...
in Salisbury.
In addition to being a physician, Fisher was licensed as a secondary teacher in
mathematics
Mathematics is an area of knowledge that includes the topics of numbers, formulas and related structures, shapes and the spaces in which they are contained, and quantities and their changes. These topics are represented in modern mathematics ...
and
science.
Elected office
Fisher was a former member of the
board of education
A board of education, school committee or school board is the board of directors or board of trustees of a school, local school district or an equivalent institution.
The elected council determines the educational policy in a small regional are ...
for the
Rowan–Salisbury School System. In addition, she had served on the boards of trustees of
Barber-Scotia College (in
Concord) and Preservation NC.
At the 2008
North Carolina Republican Party
The North Carolina Republican Party (NCGOP) is the affiliate of the Republican Party in North Carolina. Michael Whatley has been the chair since 2019.
History
Nineteenth century
Although Republicans first nominated a candidate for President o ...
state convention, held at the Joseph
Koury Convention Center in
Greensboro, Fisher was elected as the
National Republican Committeewoman for North Carolina. Running against the incumbent, establishment candidate Mary Frances Forrester, wife of state Sen.
Jim Forrester
James Summers Forrester (1908 – 23 June 1938) was a Scottish professional golfer. He won the Northern Open in 1934 and the Scottish PGA Championship, Scottish Professional Championship in 1936. In 1937 he replaced Henry Cotton (golfer), Henry ...
, Fisher's win was viewed as a surprise, underdog victory.
Fisher was re-elected in 2012, again defeating Forrester.
As of the end of 2008, Fisher was one of three African Americans on the RNC. She endorsed
Katon Dawson
Katon Edwards Dawson (born February 29, 1956) is an American politician from the state of South Carolina, former chairman of the South Carolina Republican Party and was a 2009 candidate for chairman of the Republican National Committee.
Early l ...
for RNC chairman that year. Fisher later called for the winner of the RNC race,
Michael S. Steele
Michael Stephen Steele (born October 19, 1958) is an American political commentator, attorney, and Republican Party politician. Steele served as the seventh lieutenant governor of Maryland from 2003 to 2007; he was the first African-American ...
, to resign after less than two months in office.
Campaigns
Fisher ran for the
United States Senate in 2002 in the Republican primary against
Elizabeth Dole, who went on to win the general election; Fisher placed fourth in a field of seven Republican candidates.
Fisher protested during the campaign that she was not allowed to participate in television forums featuring only two of the Republican candidates, and after the election, she filed a complaint regarding Dole's residency requirement.
Fisher ran against incumbent Congressman
Mel Watt of the
North Carolina's 12th congressional district
North Carolina's 12th U.S. House of Representatives, congressional district is a congressional district located in the city of Charlotte and surrounding areas in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, Mecklenburg County represented by Democrat Alm ...
in 2004.
In 2004, Watt won with 67% of the vote, with Fisher gaining 60% of the vote in more Republican
Davidson County.
Fisher raised $400,000 to oppose Watt in 2006, with most of the money spent on direct mail; she said the national Republican Party had not given her "one dime of support," but local organizations were supportive.
In 2008, Fisher told
Talking Points Memo that the fundraising organization she had hired had given her back only $30,000 of the $400,000 she had raised in the cycle, directing the rest to its affiliated private vendors, in what echoed previous complaints listed at TPM.
In 2006, Fisher ran against Watt for the second time.
He claimed that Watt ignored his constituents at the expense of travel related to his chairmanship of the
Congressional Black Caucus.
Fisher's campaign theme was "Get a Doctor in the House" and she recommended a "prescription" composed of ten platform planks.
Fisher said that she had put 73,000 miles on her car traveling the six counties of the 12th District for her campaign.
Fisher ran for the
North Carolina General Assembly
The North Carolina General Assembly is the Bicameralism, bicameral legislature of the Government of North Carolina, State government of North Carolina. The legislature consists of two chambers: the North Carolina Senate, Senate and the North Ca ...
from North Carolina's 77th House district in 2018.
She lost the election to
Lorene T. Coates.
Political views
Fisher wrote in ''The North Carolina Conservative'' that the Republican Party had a long history of black candidates for office, including the first black senator
Hiram Revels
Hiram Rhodes Revels (September 27, 1827Different sources list his birth year as either 1827 or 1822. – January 16, 1901) was an American Republican Party (United States), Republican politician, minister in the African Methodist Episcopal Chur ...
and the first black congressman,
Joseph Rainey, and four of the first six black senators.
Fisher continued: "In the rush to find fault while looking for a rightward turn, people forget that it was the
Democrats who brought in
poll taxes which kept us from voting; were behind the
Jim Crow laws which separated us into white and colored; vigorously supported the
Ku Klux Klan
The Ku Klux Klan (), commonly shortened to the KKK or the Klan, is an American white supremacist, right-wing terrorist, and hate group whose primary targets are African Americans, Jews, Latinos, Asian Americans, Native Americans, and ...
; and kept us out of their party and from unions and opportunities dictating a say in the course of our lives... The
Great Society of
Lyndon Johnson
Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), often referred to by his initials LBJ, was an American politician who served as the 36th president of the United States from 1963 to 1969. He had previously served as the 37th vice ...
took on segregation but, in so doing to some, possibly undermined the social fabric of an independent people in its push for a safety net, which abolished individual responsibility and accountability for behavior and actions."
Fisher mentioned that
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...
brought a level of diversity to his cabinet "like no other," mentioning
Colin Powell
Colin Luther Powell ( ; April 5, 1937 – October 18, 2021) was an American politician, statesman, diplomat, and United States Army officer who served as the 65th United States Secretary of State from 2001 to 2005. He was the first African ...
,
Condoleezza Rice
Condoleezza Rice ( ; born November 14, 1954) is an American diplomat and political scientist who is the current director of the Hoover Institution at Stanford University. A member of the Republican Party, she previously served as the 66th Uni ...
,
Rod Paige, and
Alphonso Jackson
Alphonso R. Jackson (born September 9, 1945) served as the 13th United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). He was nominated by President George W. Bush on August 28, 2004 and confirmed by the Senate on August 31, 2004. Jac ...
.
She noted in 2006, "No administration had previously had more than two African-Americans in such significant Cabinet-level positions."
Fisher supported a
flat tax
A flat tax (short for flat-rate tax) is a tax with a single rate on the taxable amount, after accounting for any deductions or exemptions from the tax base. It is not necessarily a fully proportional tax. Implementations are often progressiv ...
,
small businesses ("many of which started in our communities"),
gun rights
The right to keep and bear arms (often referred to as the right to bear arms) is a right for people to possess weapons (arms) for the preservation of life, liberty, and property. The purpose of gun rights is for self-defense, including securi ...
("which
aveoften made a difference in the African-American community's security"), and expanded education options.
She opposed
gay marriage (once saying, "Marriage ought to be between one man and one woman at one time, and I'm still waiting.")
She opposed spending out of the
Social Security Trust Fund ("I like the lock box").
Fisher was in favor of
tort reform for
medical malpractice lawsuits and a free enterprise system of health care: "If you socialize medicine, you will lose the creativity and innovation that brings us new drugs and new treatments. You'll also stifle physician choice and opportunities in medicine."
Fisher did not support open borders for reasons of national security,
nor did she support
illegal immigration to the United States
Illegal immigration to the United States is the process of migrating into the United States in violation of federal immigration laws. This can include foreign nationals (aliens) who have entered the United States unlawfully, as well as thos ...
or language accommodations for
driver's licenses for those who do not speak English.
She called President Bush's guest worker proposals "amnesty" that will depress wages for Americans:
"It is not correct to say undocumented workers do jobs, which Americans won't do. If these jobs were required to pay
minimum wage
A minimum wage is the lowest remuneration that employers can legally pay their employees—the price floor below which employees may not sell their labor. Most countries had introduced minimum wage legislation by the end of the 20th century. Bec ...
s there are thousands of out of work people who would be glad to fill them. It should not be lost on the American public that the number of unskilled Americans out of work approximates the number of illegal residents in this country. Exploiting illegal residents ultimately depresses wages for everyone."
Fisher continued, "As a black woman, I will never support any provision to relax borders with
Mexico when we keep turning
Haiti
Haiti (; ht, Ayiti ; French: ), officially the Republic of Haiti (); ) and formerly known as Hayti, is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and ...
ans away and sending them back to situations we know are equally bad if not worst... granddaughter of a free
African boy who was made a slave on reaching these shores and granddaughter of his
Seminole Indian wife, I am mad that my peoples were stripped of our cultures and languages to improve this nation and now see others advance with minimum standards set for their citizenship as they become our new underclass."
To stem illegal immigration, Fisher proposed random checks on companies known to hire illegal workers, fines and penalties for companies found guilty, deportation of illegal workers, adoption of tamper-proof photo visas for non-citizens entering the United States. She believed money sent to Mexico to compensate Social Security taxes paid by illegal workers (the Social Security Totalization Agreement) should instead be given to states whose social services are strapped from illegal immigration, and the United States should commence oil drilling in Mexico, helping Mexicans find jobs and business profits while helping to solve the United States' energy needs. Fisher also believed national standards for driver's licenses should be invoked, as well as voter identification cards.
In August 2008, she emailed a link to a
YouTube video of rearranged clips of President
Barack Obama "indulging the darkest
conspiracy theories about himself." She wrote "This tape should be investigated and verified. I am not an expert on tapes but if this isn't doctored we have a constitutional issue of humongous proportions to deal with."
Personal life and death
She never married but adopted two sons, who are now adults.
She died on October 7, 2022, two weeks before her 75th birthday.
References
External links
Official campaign website*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fisher, Ada
1947 births
2022 deaths
African-American people in North Carolina politics
African-American women in politics
African-American Jews
University of North Carolina at Greensboro alumni
University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health alumni
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health alumni
Politicians from Durham, North Carolina
North Carolina Republicans
School board members in North Carolina
Women in North Carolina politics
African-American physicians
American primary care physicians
Physicians from North Carolina
Republican National Committee members
Activists from North Carolina
Hillside High School (Durham, North Carolina) alumni
Converts to Judaism
21st-century African-American people
21st-century African-American women
20th-century African-American people
20th-century African-American women