Let's be honest, folks--in all likelihood, we're probably not going to take out Patrick McHenry. Still, the idiot congressman from NC-10 is one of the textbook cases for why the 50-state strategy is necessary.
McHenry represents an insanely Republican, R+17 district in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. It's a classic "God, gays and guns" district. Demographically and economically speaking, this area would have no business voting Republican--it's very blue-collar. However, the endless drumbeat about those baby-killing, pro-gay libruls have resulted in an area that, for the most part, would vote for any schmuck with an "R" next to it. To a good many of the people in that area, his disgraceful treatment of Elizabeth Warren was simply a case of him putting a pointy-headed Massachusetts liberal in her place. I live only 20 minutes south of this district, and I know that teabagging was in vogue there well before it went national. About the only way we'd have a chance at taking this district is in a 40-plus state Democratic landslide. In other words, if we ever took this seat, the GOP has lost almost everything in the South.
That being said, though, any Dem brave enough to run in this district deserves as much money as we can give him--if only to bleed McHenry dry. And believe it or not, it may actually be possible to do it based on how much he's spent on recent campaigns.
According to OpenSecrets, McHenry accumulated a $1.01 million warchest in 2010, and burned through all but $200,000 of it even though he pretty much cruised to reelection. It's even more stark in 2008--he ended up over $60,000 in the red.
In other words--for someone who theoretically really doesn't have to campaign, he spends an awful lot of money. Granted, nearly all of his district is in the Charlotte market, which is now officially a money pit (it's 25th nationally). Still, you'd think someone in such a ridiculously Republican district wouldn't have to spend that much.
Makes you wonder--if he has to spend that much running against Dems who spend almost no money, how much would he have to spend against someone who's actually pretty well financed? It's all the more reason to make sure anyone who steps up here has as much in the bank as possible. Donate here.