Patrick McHenry Coverage

Editorial: Politics, NOT security, is why Trump and his backers cry border crisis

Tuesday, Jan. 30, 2024 -- The truth is out about confronting the "crisis" on our nation's borders. Dealing with the problem, supporting solutions and taking action aren't nearly as important as partisan campaign jawboning about "broken" borders and manufacturing ways to keep some voters aggravated.

NC will have lots of fresh faces -- and lost seniority -- in Congress after 2024 elections

North Carolina will be losing influence in national politics, no matter which party ends up in control after next year's elections, due to loss of incumbents on both sides of the aisle.

Will Doran, WRAL state government reporter

U.S. Rep. Patrick McHenry, NC Republican who served as interim speaker, to retire from Congress

In a reversal, North Carolina U.S. Rep. Patrick McHenry says he won't seek reelection. The decision, which immediately sparked speculation over who would run to fill the seat, comes amid infighting among House Republicans.

Will Doran, WRAL state government reporter

As U.S. House speaker chaos grows, so does talk of empowering NC's McHenry

The second failed effort Wednesday by Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio to be elected House speaker added momentum to an idea that has been floated by lawmakers in both parties in recent days: Give Rep. Patrick T. McHenry, the interim speaker, explicit power to conduct legislative business.

Robert Jimison and Kayla Guo, New York Times

From 'hellraiser' to House speaker: Why NC's Patrick McHenry is charged with calming the GOP chaos

Interim U.S. House Speaker Patrick McHenry of North Carolina is poised to lead his fractured party through the election of a permanent chamber leader starting this week. Why one Democratic colleague thinks he's the right leader for the moment, and how the beer they're brewing together offers a glimmer of bipartisanship in a time of division.

Will Doran, WRAL state government reporter

PAUL KRUGMAN: Will voters send In the clowns?

Friday, Oct. 6, 2023 -- Why would they think that a party that can't manage itself can manage the economy?

Paul Krugman, New York Times

What Can Patrick McHenry, the Interim Speaker, Do?

WASHINGTON -- Moments after the House voted to boot Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., as the speaker, one of his closest confidants, Rep. Patrick T. McHenry of North Carolina, stepped up to the dais to take the gavel as the interim speaker.

Kayla Guo, New York Times

North Carolina's McHenry takes over as interim U.S. House speaker following McCarthy's ouster

U.S. Rep. Patrick McHenry will serve as speaker pro tempore until the House votes to select a permanent speaker following the removal of U.S. Rep. Kevin McCarthy from the chamber's top leadership position.

Will Doran, WRAL state government reporter

Editorial: A 'day of infamy' we should have seen coming

Thursday, Jan. 7, 2021 -- It was horrible to watch. It was disgraceful behavior. We should have seen it coming. Too many, especially Republicans who should know better, especially those from North Carolina, have spent the last four years looking the other way. Mobs, encouraged on by a President emboldened by the reflexive affirmation of his congressional GOP loyalists, overran the security forces and stormed the Capitol - the world's temple to representative government.

Editorial: Fear fuels 'loyalty' to Trump from N.C.'s congressional Republicans

Monday, Dec. 14, 2020 -- North Carolina congressional Republicans signed onto the a baseless lawsuit to invalidate millions of presidential election votes - a suit rapidly rejected by the U.S. Supreme Court - out of fear as they look two years to their next election. They're terrified if they fail to bow, even to Donald Trump's most frivolous whim, the increasingly radicalized base of his devotees will respond negatively in a GOP primary to the perceived insufficient loyalty.

Editorial: Entertaining Trump's phony claims breeds unwarranted distrust in elections

Wednesday, Dec. 9, 2020 -- The failure to acknowledge the obvious - that Joseph Biden did get the most votes and did capture the most electoral college votes to become the next president - isn't some passive partisan act. Why do some elected representatives tolerate and even encourage Donald Trump's outrageous and false claims in his desire to keep an office he didn't win? Why aren't they speaking up for the integrity of the ballots cast by voters who put them in office? These elected representatives breed unwarranted distrust in our electoral system.

ROY COOPER: Congress - Act now. Extend unemployment benefits for struggling workers

Friday, July 24, 2020 -- It's irresponsible for Congress and the president to stop providing this critical support now when the virus still is spreading rapidly and states, especially in the South, are seeing record high case counts. ... It's not safe for some people to go back to work and many don't have jobs to return to yet. Benefits from the Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation program have not only helped people pay their bills -- they've been critical to the health of our local businesses when unemployed people use their benefits to put money into the economy by purchasing food, paying rent and buying other necessities.

Editorial: NC's congressional delegation; Stand for the Constitution and demand truth

Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2019 -- North Carolinians deserve members of the U.S. House of Representatives who have the courage to act with clear conscience and do their sworn duty. Uphold the Constitution. Stand for the separation of powers. Demand the truth from the president. Facts are facts.

RICHARD FAUSSET: With No Supreme Court end to gerrymandering, will states be more extreme?

Saturday, June 29, 2019 --The 5-5 decision by the justices of the U.S. Supreme Court not to intervene in even the most blatant partisan gerrymanders was a letdown to many liberals in North Carolina, an evenly divided purple state where substantive policy battles often feel overshadowed by knife-fighting over the rules that govern democracy itself.

Poll: Potential GOP Senate candidates lack name recognition

U.S. Sen. Kay Hagan holds early leads over potential 2014 Republican rivals, but that's primarily because people don't know or don't like the GOP options, according to a new poll.

Matthew Burns

New legislation?

We asked each lawmaker who will represent North Carolina in Congress next year what the legislative response to last week's school shooting in Connecticut should be.

Mark Binker