Is Charlotte Mayor Signaling Interest In House Run?

[ccharles000]

Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory is dipping his toes into the national policy debate over health care.

McCrory, who lost a hotly contested 2008 governor's race to Bev Perdue, is joining conservative advocacy group Americans for Prosperity on a "Patients First Tour" July 21 and 22 "to discuss the harmful government-centered health care reform proposals in Congress and to demand free-market solutions." AFP has been tied to the anti-tax tea party movement and is vehemently opposed to the federal stimulus spending and Democrats' carbon cap-and-trade legislation.

This is noteworthy because the mayor is a potential congressional candidate and anything that looks like a testing-the-waters exercise attracts attention.

McCrory's name has been floated as a prospective candidate to take on freshman 8th District Rep. Larry Kissell. The traditionally Republican-leaning district backed President Obama 52 percent in to 47 percent for Republican nominee John McCain in 2008, but Republicans believe that without the Obama-generated Democratic turnout, Kissell is vulnerable in 2010.

McCrory will participate in events in Raleigh and Wingate, both outside his constituent base of Charlotte. Rural Wingate is in the 8th House District, Raleigh is not.

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/eyeon2010/2009/07/charlotte-mayor-joins-health-c.html