Free Republic

In their second Republican primary battle for the 10th District state House seat, Willie Ray Starling of Mount Olive finished with a nine-vote edge over incumbent Rep. Stephen LaRoque of Kinston, according to unofficial results.Although LaRoque defeated Starling in his home county of Lenoir 731-494 votes, the margin of victory was not enough to overcome Starling’s victories in both Greene and Wayne counties. That scenario was the same as two years ago, except for the winner. The final tally Tuesday gave Starling 906 votes and LaRoque, 897.“I’m ecstatic, but it’s not over until the fat lady sings,” Starling said...

...McHenry, a 29-year-old politician from North Carolina who had made conservative politics his passion since high school... is [now] the youngest member of the incoming 109th Congress. (snip)As the youngest freshman and a hard-core conservative, McHenry has made a bigger splash in his opening days on the Hill than most new House members. He was featured in an article on the front page of USA Today, and C-SPAN brought a camera into his office to record how he was putting it together. On Monday night, he made a short speech to about 60 members of the American Conservative Union who...

RALEIGH — The race to succeed U.S. Rep. Cass Ballenger in North Carolina’s 10th District is down to two Republicans (and an underdog Democrat), and each GOP candidate is claiming the mantle as most conservative as they head toward a runoff election Aug. 17. For David Huffman, Catawba County’s sheriff, that means invoking his ties to President Bush through his Homeland Security work, his chaplaincy role for the North Carolina Sheriffs Association, and his membership in the National Rifle Association. For State Rep. Patrick McHenry of Cherryville, it means emphasizing his work on President Bush’s 2000 campaign (including a stint...

Dear Neighbors of the 10th District, Thank you for taking the time to look over my Platform. I believe that the Democratic Party has an economic policy, which serves the greater interests of the Constituency of this District. On social issues, however, I am conservative and I list some of those conservative social positions immediately below. I am Pro Life I support the ban on Partial Birth Abortion I support the Death Penalty and all due process as provided by law I am an advocate of School Prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance I support the 10 Commandments. I support...