Patrick McHenry

Patrick McHenry
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from North Carolina's 10th district
Incumbent
Assumed office January 3, 2005–
Preceded by	Cass Ballenger
Personal details
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Single

Patrick Timothy McHenry (born October 22, 1975) is a United States Representative from North Carolina, representing the state's 10th Congressional district (see map), and currently the so called "Baby of the House" in the United States House of Representatives. He previously was a member of the North Carolina House of Representatives for a single term.

McHenry was born and raised in Gastonia, North Carolina and attended Ashbrook High School. A Catholic, McHenry was one of five children. His parents are now deceased.

While a student at North Carolina State University and Belmont Abbey College, McHenry chaired the North Carolina Federation of College Republicans and served as treasurer for the College Republican National Committee. His first run for public office was in 1998, while still a college student; his Democratic opponent was the father of a high school classmate. After earning a B.A. in history in 1999, McHenry worked for a media consulting firm DCI/New Media, overseeing Rick Lazio's campaign against Hillary Clinton during her 2000 Senate bid. His main project there was running a Web site, NotHillary.com.

In the summer and fall of 2000, McHenry worked on George W. Bush's successful 2000 presidential campaign; he was named volunteer coordinator for Bush's inaugural committee. After six months working as a special assistant to the United States Secretary of Labor in Washington, D.C., McHenry returned to North Carolina and successfully ran again for the state legislature.

He resides in Cherryville, North Carolina, McHenry represented the state's 109th House district, including constituents in Gaston County. While in the legislature, he sat on the House Appropriations Committee.

After one term in the North Carolina General Assembly, McHenry successfully ran for Congress in the 10th Congressional District, which had come open when nine-term incumbent Cass Ballenger retired. McHenry faced a heavily contested primary in the 10th and bested his closest opponent, Catawba County Sheriff David Huffman in a runoff primary by only 85 votes. In the general election, McHenry earned 64% of the popular vote, defeating Democrat Anne Fischer. However, it was generally thought McHenry's victory in the primary runoff was tantamount to election in November. His district is considered North Carolina's most Republican district, having sent Republicans to represent it since 1963.

At the age of 31, McHenry is the youngest member of the 110th United States Congress; he was also the youngest member of the North Carolina General Assembly during his term in the state House. His voting record is considered conservative; he was one of 20 members who voted against reinstating the House ethics rules in place after they were changed, allegedly in order to protect House Majority Leader Tom DeLay. In 2006, DeLay was quoted by the Washington Times as saying that McHenry could be "the next Tom DeLay." In 2006 he voted against renewal of the Voting Rights Act, arguing that the law was "bad public policy" because it mandated bilingual ballots, and because it used voting statistics from 1964 to determine whether or not election procedures ought to be subject to federal review.[1]

McHenry defeated Democrat Richard Carsner in the 2006 election, gaining over sixty percent of the vote. In the 110th United States Congress, McHenry proposed a "minority bill of rights," similar to a blocked 2004 plan by the then Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi to protect her own party.

Voter Fraud Allegations

On May 11, 2007, CBS Investigative News reported that an aide to Rep. McHenry, Michael Aaron Lay, was indicted on May 7 by a Gaston County, North Carolina grand jury on voter fraud charges. An article appearing on CBS's Media:Primary Source [2] reported that "[t]he indictment charges that Michael Aaron Lay, 26, illegally cast his ballot in two 2004 Congressional primary run-offs in which McHenry was a candidate. The charges indicate that Lay voted in a district where it was not legal for him to vote." The article continues, "At the time Lay was listed as a resident in a home owned by 32-year-old McHenry but campaign records indicate Lay's paychecks were sent to an address in Tennessee."

According to voter registration applications uncovered by Mike Rogers of BlogActive.com[3], two other men, Matthew Allen Hamilton and Neil Everett Capano, have also registered to vote using Rep. McHenry's home address. Another man, Jason Jent Deans, registered and voted in McHenry's district but used an address outside of the district to receive payments from the McHenry campaign.

BlogActive.com is best known for reporting on, or "outing," closeted politicians who support anti-gay legislation. Disgraced Florida Republican Congressman Mark Foley, who resigned amid allegations that he sexually harassed underage male pages, was reported on by Rogers long before news of his closeted homosexuality and improper conduct were reported by mainstream news outlets.

Futhermore, Rogers reports on his site that he has "received several tips from across [North Carolina], including one from an elected official"[4] alleging that the unmarried McHenry is gay.

External links

• U.S. Congressman Patrick McHenry official House site
• United States Congress. "Patrick McHenry (id: m001156)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
• Federal Election Commission - Patrick Timothy McHenry campaign finance reports and data
• On the Issues - Patrick McHenry issue positions and quotes
• OpenSecrets.org - Patrick McHenry campaign contributions
• Project Vote Smart - Representative Patrick T. McHenry (NC) profile
• SourceWatch Congresspedia - Patrick McHenry profile
• Washington Post - Congress Votes Database: Patrick McHenry voting record
• Patrick McHenry for Congress official campaign site