Will NC-10 GOPers saddle North Carolina, the US with McHenry 2.0?

Throughout his career in DC, Patrick McHenry dependably racked up the most — if not one of the most — liberal voting records among NC Republicans in DC.  He clearly cared more about what the speaker or other party leaders thought of him. His caseworkers kept the government checks flowing back home to his district, so his voters kept him in DC.

It appears the two frontrunners to replace McHenry in DC — state Rep. Grey Mills and businessman Pat Harrigan — are looking to follow the McHenry model.  People who know Mills well privately describe him as one of the laziest, most entitled white boys you’ll ever meet. He’s warmed a seat in the NC House for several years. That’s about the nicest way to describe his political career thus far. 

Pat Harrigan, on the other hand, showed some promise.  He lost a tough 2022 fight to Democrat Jeff Jackson in the 14th district.  With Jackson leaving to run for AG and the seat being redrawn as more Republican, the 14th looked like Harrigan’s for the taking in 2024.  But then Tim Moore showed his, um, *pretty* face.  Harrigan appeared ready to do something heroic — take Moore on head first and rid North Carolina politics of this little weasel once and for all.  But then, suddenly, Harrigan agrees to move to the 10th district — leaving lil’ Timmy with only two token primary opponents in this very Republican district.  Harrigan’s departure left Moore an opportunity to meddle in plenty of other people’s races across the state. And that’s not good. 

A 2022 radio interview featuring Harrigan has surfaced which should give any good conservative contemplating a Harrigan vote a cause to pause:

[…] The ad quotes Harrigan from a 2022 interview with WFAE. In response to a question about undocumented immigrants brought as children, Harrigan, a firearms manufacturer, said he wasn’t opposed to helping them get citizenship.

But he added: “I do think it’s incredibly important that we have to gain control of the southern border and gain control of our immigration system first.”

Harrigan also said “there has to be a pathway to citizenship” and that countries that have rounded up and deported people are Russia, North Korea, China and Nazi Germany. He said the United States should not be in their company.

“This horse has left the stable on this topic,” Harrigan said. “The vast majority of immigrants that have come to this country and here because they are trying to build a better life for themselves and their families.”[…]

So, enforcing the law — which these people knowingly broke — is like Nazi Germany???  What good are laws if there is no penalty for violating them?

(By the way, Pat. I’ve lived in South Korea.  North Korea rarely deports anyone.  If you’re in there, you tend to STAY there. Above ground or below ground is UP TO YOU.)

I know there are plenty of good people who have come here, followed the rules, and become model citizens and positive contributors to our society.  I also know those people are outnumbered 100-fold by people who come here illegally and are overrunning our hospitals and public schools and stretching our social welfare safety net to the breaking point.

I’ll concede that our current citizenship process is messed up.  As I’ve mentioned before, I’ve taught at the college level.  One of my students, from a family that owned and operated a chain of successful Mexican restaurants,  informed me one day he would have to miss the next class to attend his citizenship swearing-in ceremony.  I congratulated him and asked how long the wait had been.  He told me he and his family  first came to America when he was an infant.  At the time of this conversation, he was a second-year college student. 

We need to enforce the law and make people use our current process, but work to improve that process at the same time. Throwing up your hands and saying ‘Oh, well, these people gamed the system and have enjoyed life here tax-free, what can we do?’  is not going to cut it.

You folks in the 10th have a tough decision.  Your top two guys with all the money are already bought and paid for by Raleigh and DC interests.  Mills is already owned by Team Tillis.  And it appears the Team may be hedging its bets with Harrigan. What can you do?

There are three more choices in the primary.  One, in particular, looks interesting. Brooke McGowan appears to be making some interesting moves on the campaign trail.   She has endorsements from local conservative celebrities like former legislator Larry Pittman and national celebrities like General Mike Flynn. 

She appears to check all the right boxes on things like vaccine mandates, gun rights, and the economy.  Perusing her website, one might paint McGowan as being in the vein of Lauren Boebert or Marjorie Taylor Greene.

The point?  Do your research.  Don’t just give in to whomever the media says IS the front-runner.  Don’t let yourself get trapped into being “represented” by someone who doesn’t actually represent what you and your family and friends believe.