Coble sees competition in 6th District race

By Mark Wineka

mwineka@salisburypost.com

For the first time since being elected to the U.S. House in 1984, U.S. Rep. Howard Coble, R-N.C., faces competition in the Republican primary — and then some.

Five first-time challengers, all touting conservative credentials to one degree or another, have lined up against Coble.

Of course, the 13-term incumbent has noticed.

"I'm not being casual about this," Coble says. "I'm taking it very seriously."

The challengers cover quite a spectrum — from a well-financed physician in Dr. James Taylor of Pinehurst, to a 25-year-old information technology worker in Jon Mangin of Stokesdale.

In between, there's longtime Guilford County commissioner Billy Yow, High Point furniture market building manager Cathy Brewer Hinson and Greensboro financial advisor Jeff Phillips.

They often tip their hat to Coble's service over the years but, in the next breath, say it's time for a change.

Yow says he has voted for Coble every time he has run.

"I hold him in high regard," Yow says, "but folks realize this time they have a choice. Americans are fed up. If you're in, you're out."

Phillips says he probably would agree with Coble's votes over the years 85 to 90 percent of the time.

"But I think it is time for a change, and I think of myself as a new bold voice on behalf of the people of District 6," Phillips says, touting his creative thinking and financial background as positioning him to step into a leadership role.

The 6th U.S. House District takes in Alamance, Randolph and Moore counties and parts of Rowan, Davidson and Guilford counties. Democrat Sam Turner of Salisbury and Libertarian Lon Cecil of High Point are unopposed in their respective primaries.

Given Coble's 26 consecutive years in office, the challengers understandably favor terms limits — some to a stricter degree than others. They also argue for drastic changes in the tax law, deride the recent health care reform and say they identify with the Tea Party movement.

Except for the term limits, Coble has similar views.

Interestingly, on the current U.S. military missions in Iraq and Afghanistan, the six GOP candidates have differing takes, from Mangin's belief that soldiers need to come home now, to Hinson's belief that the military leaders should be given the resources they need to "win." (See the accompanying box.)

All the candidates have Web sites outlining their positions on issues. They also have been conscientious in showing up for Lincoln-Reagan Day dinners, Republican Men and Women meetings and county conventions.

Taylor has mounted one of the more visible campaigns in raising money, making a bonded term-limits pledge of six years, promising not to participate in the Congressional pension or health care plans and calling on his opponents to debate.

Taylor has dedicated six days a week to his effort, saying the healthcare reform discussion — "something I do on a daily basis" — compelled him to run because he felt as though the medical profession was under attack.

U.S. monetary and economic policies are the "elephant in the room," Taylor says, adding, "We're very good at spending but not good at budgeting."

Taylor says voters often send a good man or woman to Washington to change things and Washington often changes them. Congressmen — not lobbyists and bureaucrats — need to read and write their own bills, he argues.

"My main emphasis is the Constitution," Hinson says, describing how she began tracking Washington a couple of years ago and realized how basic American rights were constantly threatened.

She proposes a 28th Amendment — a "We the People Amendment" — that would force basic changes in Congress, starting with term limits. She also suggests a 15 percent pay cut for all federal employees, a decrease in retirement benefits and the sending out of a questionnaire to all constituents to gauge their sentiment on many issues.

"The mindset of the people across the nation is that they're ready to be involved again," Hinson says.

Hinson pushes for a Congress whose members write their own bills and do so in a language citizens can understand. She also supports a mandate in which all congressional members would have to confirm reading a bill before it could be enacted.

Mangin says he respects Coble's tough dilemma when he voted for the $700 billion bailout for banks, but he thinks Republicans could have come up with an alternative plan to attack the problem of distressed mortgages.

"Something cheaper than handing over $700 billion and the cascade of layoffs and people not spending money," Mangin says. "I was very opposed to TARP (the Troubled Assets Relief Program)."

He says there has to be a "TARP 2.0" to fix the problems it created.

Mangin says he has been one of the more outspoken opponents to abortion and the threat that pornography poses to families.

Phillips says his 24 years of experience in the financial service industry and being a financial advisor to business owners, medical professionals and retirees of various companies has "given me great insight into what works and what doesn't work in the economy."

With his health insurance and securities licenses, Phillips says, he has broad experience in financial markets, investments, healthcare, employee transition, tax issues and estate planning — the kind of education that separates him from the other candidates.

Phillips says he would shape his voice as a congressman on his constituents' behalf. "I'm a listener first," he says.

During the primary campaign, Yow says, he often hears people saying how Coble's office helped a relative with a particular problem in dealing with a government program.

"My question is, if you're having to help so many people, isn't there something wrong?" Yow says. "Wouldn't it be easier just to fix the (program)?"

Yow touts his experience in making a payroll as a small business owner and his understanding of what constituent service really is through his 10 years as a county commissioner. He calls himself a worker, not a seat warmer.

While Coble likes to say he has a sharp pencil when it come to government spending, Yow says the pencil is broken. In this campaign, Coble has money, and he's spending it, Yow says, because the congressman knows there's a good chance for a runoff.

"He knows this isn't something to take lightly," Yow says. "Howard knows me well enough to know I'm pretty serious."

To win the May 4 primary outright, Coble or any of his challengers will need at least a 40 percent majority vote to avoid a runoff.

"That's the part that concerns me the most," Coble acknowledges.