Johnston County — In the Republican primary for the N.C. Senate seat held by Fred Smith, the candidates are touting their personal strengths.

Political newcomer Nena Reeves, 48, lives in Clayton and has been married for 25 years to W.L. Reeves. They have five children and one grandchild. She is the former owner of Health Services Personnel Inc.

David Rouzer, 36, of McGee’s Crossroads is single and is the owner of a business-consulting and lobbying firm called The Rouzer Company. Rouzer ran for state agriculture commissioner in 2000. He is a former aide to U.S. Sens. Jesse Helms and Elizabeth Dole and was appointed by President Bush to serve with USDA Rural Development in 2005-06.

Reeves says she’s not a political insider and can relate to constituents as a mom and business owner. “Being a parent of a very large family, I am experiencing the issues of a family in Wayne or Johnston County,” she said.

Reeves said managing her company’s more than 750 employees and her family had taught her to prioritize spending, stick to a budget and manage people.

Rouzer says his relationships in the state and federal governments would make him a more effective legislator.

“I have a great range of federal experience, through Rural Development, which is very important to Johnston County and rural areas,” he said. “Our problems are so complex these days that our federal government and state government need to work together.”

Rouzer said knowing the politics of the General Assembly, and the key players, is crucial to getting anything done.

Both Reeves and Rouzer say the folks they’re meeting on the campaign trail are most concerned about the economy. They say people want to know how each candidate would help their families get to keep more of the money they make.

Reeves said people are also concerned about illegal immigration and gas prices.

“Families are just concerned about being able to survive in these very difficult times,” she said. “They’re really just saying they want to be heard, that leaders haven’t listened to their concerns, and they want someone who is going to represent their interests.”

Reeves said she would put her constituents first and set about restoring faith and trust in government. “[I would] be someone who will always be there to listen and be a citizen legislator,” she said.

Rouzer said he wants to bring common sense back to government and make it smaller. If elected, he wants to put the state’s gas tax on hold and instead find the $1.6 billion in the general fund and set it aside for roads and bridges.

He said he was disheartened to hear from a Goldsboro man who said fees and regulations stopped him from starting a business. “All those regulations and fees, it just makes it really, really difficult,” he said. “We need smaller government that’s less intrusive, and more business-friendly.”

Rouzer said he sees a lot of regulations that contradict each other or just don’t make sense, and he wants to change that. For example, he said healthcare providers have to have 47 areas of care covered, which leaves people paying higher prices because they’re getting more coverage than they need.

“We need to restructure healthcare to let the marketplace determine what you’re going to get,” he said.

If she makes it through the primary, Reeves said she’ll spend the months till November introducing herself around the district and trying to win the support of voters, Republican and otherwise.

“I would hope that when the general election comes, people will look at the two candidates and see what I am able to bring and vote not based on a party, but vote based on a person,” she said.

Rouzer said he would have a lot of listening to do between May and November. “Citizens have a lot of good ideas out there,” he said. “You really learn what’s on their minds. In many cases, they’ll share with you something the government’s doing that doesn’t make any sense.”

Both campaigns have set up Web sites. Reeves’ is www.reevesforsenate.com, and Rouzer’s is www.davidrouzer.com.