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Currently serving his second term in Congress, Patrick McHenry became only the third person in forty years to represent the people of North Carolina’s 10th Congressional District with his victory in the 2004 election. The congressman won a competitive four-candidate primary and then an extremely close runoff election by 85 votes. He was re-elected in 2006 with more than 60 percent of the vote. The district stretches from the Blue Ridge Mountains to the South Carolina border.
Born in 1975, Congressman McHenry is the youngest member of the 110th Congress. He won membership on the House Financial Services Committee in January of 2005, which drafts and reviews all federal legislation involving the banking and financial services industry, including insurance companies, banks, credit unions, as well as legislation that relates to monetary policy, investment, and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Congressman McHenry also serves on two additional committees: the House Budget Committee, which drafts the federal budget each year, and the House Committee on Government Reform, which has jurisdiction to investigate any federal program or department, and any matter with federal policy implications. He is a member of the Executive Committee of the National Republican Congressional Committee and serves as a Deputy Minority Whip.
Congressman McHenry captured the spotlight during his first year in the House and was quickly recognized as an effective leader of the conservative movement on Capitol Hill and a tireless advocate for his constituents back home. Human Events magazine ranked him as the "number two up-and-coming conservative in Congress." He continues to fight the status quo in Washington; in 2007, Washington paper, The Hill called him "the anti-Pelosi."
Numerous groups have recognized Congressman McHenry's efforts on behalf of the people of Western North Carolina. He has received an "A" rating from the Americans for Tax Reform. He has also been named a "True Blue" Member of Congress by the Family Research Council for his strong support of families, and a "Taxpayer Hero" by Citizens Against Government Waste.
Congressman McHenry previously represented North Carolina House District 109 in the North Carolina House of Representatives from 2003-2004. In the State House, he was consistently ranked as one of the chamber’s most conservative members.
Congressman McHenry is a graduate of Ashbrook High School in Gastonia, North Carolina and Belmont Abbey College, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in History. Congressman McHenry worked on the 1996 campaign staff of Robin Hayes for Governor, has been involved in two technology companies, and served as Coalition Director in the Bush for President Campaign in 2000. He also served as Special Assistant to the Secretary of the United States Department of Labor, a post he was appointed to by President Bush.
The congressman is a member of the Chambers of Commerce in all ten counties of the Tenth District, the Gastonia Rotary Club, the National Rifle Association and Saint Michael's Church. He maintains his residence in the Tenth District and commutes to Washington each week from his home in Cherryville. Congressman McHenry maintains district offices in Hickory, Shelby and Spruce Pine.
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