Last night in Lincolnton, Daniel Johnson and Congressman Patrick McHenry met for the first of four forums scheduled throughout North Carolina's 10th Congressional District. Daniel contrasted his background of public service and his commitment to serving the people of Western North Carolina with Congressman McHenry's record of failed leadership, including his support of subprime lenders and his votes against investing in alternative energy.

McHenry: "I have worked very hard to make sure that we have the proper oversight of these massive financial institutions."
Fact check: Congressman McHenry, who sits on the Financial Services Committee, not only did nothing to regulate abuses in the subprime lending industry, he advocated for subprime lenders. In an October 27, 2005 op-ed in the Charlotte Observer, McHenry praised the subprime industry and argued against "burdensome regulations" on such lenders. On November 15, 2007, McHenry spoke on the House floor against restricting subprime lenders, saying it would have "a chilling effect on the secondary markets." Just last month, McHenry continued his support for big financial institutions when he voted against a bipartisan plan to curb the most abusive practices of credit card issuers (H.R. 5244, 9/23/08) a bill endorsed by the National Small Business Association.

McHenry: "My opponent's a trial lawyer."
Fact check: Daniel Johnson is proud of his work serving the people of North Carolina as a prosecutor. Daniel worked his way up from handling routine traffic tickets to prosecuting major felonies like homicide, drug trafficking, and robbery.

McHenry: "I voted consistently to...invest in alternative energy sources."
Fact check: McHenry voted "no" to tax credits for investment in alternative energy (H.R. 2776, 8/4/07). McHenry voted against investment in wind, solar, and geothermal energy and to tax credits for producers of bio-diesel and other biofuels (H.R. 5351, 2/27/08). McHenry missed the vote to establish a reserve fund for alternative and renewable energies (H.R. 6, 1/18/07). McHenry has received $64,500 in campaign contributions from oil and gas companies (http://www.opensecrets.org).