Sigmon ad exposes McHenry for profiting from inside deals and making false resume claims

A decade ago, Republican congressman Wes Cooley from Oregon’s 2nd District abandoned his re-election bid after being discovered for having lied to voters about his military service record. He became a “national laughingstock,” a caricature of the bragging, dishonest politician.

Recently, the campaign of 10th District Republican challenger Lance Sigmon released a TV commercial, scheduled to air later, detailing how Rep. Patrick McHenry, in 2004, purposely misled voters about his resume, too. The TV spot is posted on Sigmon’s campaign website: sigmonforcongress.com.

In the campaign ad, Sigmon questions “why McHenry claimed to run a business that didn’t exist,” when he first ran for Congress in the 2004 Republican primary. The TV spot also reveals that McHenry profited from a 2006 “real estate deal” in which “a campaign donor sold McHenry a house undervalued by at least $25,500.”

According to Raleigh News & Observer reporter Ryan Beckwith, and the highly respected political journal Roll Call in an October 2007 article, McHenry bought a house in October 2006 in Gaston County from county commissioner Allen Fraley for $87,500, although it appraised soon after that at $113,000. A few days later, Fraley gave McHenry a $500 campaign contribution. Prior to this real estate transaction, Fraley had given McHenry two other donations of $500 each.

“Buying a house for over $25,000 below the appraised value and then receiving another $500 campaign contribution from the seller is just one example of why elected officials have dismal approval ratings,” Sigmon stated.

During his 2004 campaign, McHenry told voters that he owned “McHenry Real Estate” and that he was the “the only small businessman in this race.” However, official North Carolina records show that McHenry received his real estate sales license on October 28, 2003—just 38 days before he filed his candidacy papers with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) on December 4, 2003.

The problem was, according to The Washington Monthly magazine and other publications, McHenry Real Estate did no business and had no phone, no office, no employees and no assets. In their October/November 2005 article concerning McHenry, The Washington Monthly noted that his “real problem was that he had never worked a day in his life in the district as an adult. McHenry needed to get something relevant into his resume, quickly. So he took an alternate route: In the fall of 2003, he sat for the real estate licensure exam and, almost instantly, Patrick McHenry the political operative became Patrick McHenry the realtor, proprietor of “McHenry Real Estate.” When confronted by Roll Call concerning his real estate dealings, McHenry’s Chief of Staff Parker Poling said McHenry’s “experience as a small businessman is an asset to the people of western North Carolina.”

In his 2004, 2005 and 2006 FEC financial ethics reports, McHenry admitted that his company had zero assets and zero liabilities—clearly confirming what everyone originally suspected.

“Voters are sick and tired of being lied to by politicians who will claim to be someone they are not, just to get elected,” said Sigmon, who’s the only other Republican candidate in the 10th District primary for Congress on May 6. “In business or academics, people who make untrue claims on their resumes resign or are fired. That should be the case in politics, too. My mission is to restore ethics and honesty to government—the voters deserve nothing less,” said Sigmon.

Scouting—Reinforcing Traditional American Values

"On my honor, I will do my best to do my duty to God and my country, obey the Scout Law, to help other people at all times, to keep myself physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight."

I believe that the Boy Scout oath should be a guide for every father in raising his children into happy, honest, law-abiding citizens who will make a positive contribution to society. When my first-grade son wanted to join Scouts, I happily signed up with him.

For 10+ years, I supported his advancement and activities in scouting. I also served in numerous leadership roles in an attempt to make a difference in the lives of other boys and young men. Most Scout leaders are dedicated individuals who reinforce the values and morals that make our country strong. Unfortunately, some of the boys I worked with did not have a strong family life, and I may have been one of the few persons in their lives who encouraged them.

I took pride in each young man as he advanced, and I will always be proud of the difference I made in their lives.