Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory is dipping his toes into the national policy debate over health care.
Pat McCrory
McCrory, who lost a hotly contested 2008 governor's race to Bev Perdue, is joining conservative advocacy group
Americans for Prosperity on
a "Patients First Tour" July 21 and 22 "to discuss the harmful government-centered health care reform proposals in Congress and to demand free-market solutions." AFP has been tied to the anti-tax tea party movement and is vehemently opposed to the federal stimulus spending and Democrats' carbon cap-and-trade legislation.
This is noteworthy because the mayor is a potential congressional candidate and anything that looks like a testing-the-waters exercise attracts attention.
McCrory's name has been floated as a prospective candidate to take on freshman 8th District Rep. Larry Kissell. The traditionally Republican-leaning district backed President Obama 52 percent in to 47 percent for Republican nominee John McCain in 2008, but Republicans believe that without the Obama-generated Democratic turnout, Kissell is vulnerable in 2010.
McCrory will participate in events in Raleigh and Wingate, both outside his constituent base of Charlotte. Rural Wingate is in the 8th House District, Raleigh is not.
Other Republicans expressing interest in a challenge include former Rep. Robin Hayes, who lost to Kissell in 2008, Union District Attorney John Snyder and former state Rep. Mia White.
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Comments
This article overlooks an important fact about Charlotte's geography: aside from the heavily African-American west side, the northeastern part of Charlotte that lies within Kissell's district is heavily Democratic, heavily minority and heavily middle- and lower-class. I don't have precise numbers to back this up, but I would bet that they were never too keen on McCrory in the first place. McCrory would do much better to wait and see if Rep. Sue Myrick (NC-9) retires, because that district is far more favorable for him.
Additionally, Kissell lost in 2006 to a wealthy incumbent only by a few votes - with no help from Obama or the DCCC. Might it be that his 55-45 victory in the district has more to do with his strength as a candidate than with Obama?
Posted by: Jeff
| July 15, 2009 8:33 PM
McCrory lives in the 9th. Snyder also lives in the 9th. White lives in Singapore and she's a nut.
Hayes, who actually does live in the 8th, only raised $644 this quarter and still carries $180,000 in campaign debts. Kissell has about a half million dollar head start.
Who's next? Vernon Robinson?
Posted by: Gosh
| July 16, 2009 11:06 AM
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