Is U.S. Rep. Patrick McHenry considering higher office?

An article in the Lenoir News-Topic over the weekend quotes anonymous McHenry aides speculating that his win over Daniel Johnson this year may have positioned him for a future run:

With McHenry having likely faced his last credible challenges, either from GOP or Democratic circles, speculation has begun about his political future. Those close to McHenry privately say that a run for North Carolina governor in 2012 is one possibility, though a challenge to Senator-elect Kay Hagan in 2014 could be a more likely scenario.

The same senior aides, who spoke on a condition of anonymity, note that a gubernatorial run may hinge on whether Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory opts for a rematch against Bev Perdue. In their estimation, McHenry's relative youth and previous electoral success have positioned him as a leading voice as the state GOP charts its political future.

The article also quotes McHenry calling the attention "flattering" but dismissing the talk.  

A former N.C. College Republicans president who worked his way from the state House of Representatives to become the youngest member of the U.S. House, McHenry is clearly ambitious. 

But he might be better served staying put, rising through the ranks in the House and becoming, as former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay once put it, "the next Tom DeLay." 

House Minority Leader John Boehner is coming to North Carolina.

The Ohio Republican will be the featured guest at a fundraiser for U.S. Rep. Virginia Foxx, who is running for a third term in office, according to Roll Call.

The Oct. 5 fundraiser will be held at a private residence in the Fifth District. Tickets range from $100 to $1,000.

The trip is partly political payback. Foxx supported Boehner's bid to replace Rep. Tom DeLay as House majority leader in 2006, over Rep. Roy Blunt of Missouri.

The two also toured a Davie County elementary school in 2005.

U.S. Rep. Patrick McHenry is a political carnivore, some observers say.

After a contentious Republican primary win, he went on the attack in office, defending Tom DeLay and attacking Nancy Pelosi, the Char-O reports.

"They turn repeatedly to McHenry because he'll give them red meat," Arrington says of the media and the national GOP. "He's viewed by the Democrats as outrageous and by the Republicans as just great, 'give them hell, McHenry.' "

On the House Financial Services Committee, he frequently spars with chairman Rep. Barney Frank, a Massachusetts Democrat.

As the youngest of five children, McHenry says his feistiness is just part of his personality.

Video of McHenry arguing with Frank over parliamentary procedure after the jump.

   Comments (3)