Uh-Oh ... McHenry Comes in Second in Republican Straw Poll

At the Catawba County Republican Convention last Saturday, Lance Sigmon, who is challenging Rep. Patrick McHenry in the May 6th Republican primary, got over three times as many votes in a straw poll as the incumbent did, 49-14. (Hmmm. Very few Republicans in attendance, but we digress.)

You might want to notice that Catawba County Republicans have never felt much affection for McHenry, especially after McHenry beat their popular sheriff David Huffman in the primary of 2004.

Afterward Sigmon chose his words very carefully in issuing a victory statement: "It is clear from the almost 78 percent preference these conventioneers expressed for me, that my message of maturity, integrity and decency are qualities voters expect of their officials."

Maturity, integrity and decency. One could spend hours unpacking the implications behind those three nouns.

For his part, McHenry returned the spite, especially toward Catawba County Republicans. He had his spokesman say that he wasn't invited to the convention and didn't know about it, and then this:

The Catawba County GOP leadership is completely out of touch with the Republican base, and this vote simply reflects the fact that a handful of bitter supporters of David Huffman's failed 2004 campaign ate dinner together. Congressman McHenry enjoys incredibly strong support in Catawba County and in every other county of the Tenth District for his work to stop illegal immigration and spur economic growth, and that's why he'll win both the primary and general elections by wide margins.

Well, okay then.