Staff report
U.S. Rep. Howard Coble (R-N.C.) filed Tuesday for a 13th term in the U.S. House. Coble, who has served in the House of Representatives since 1984, said in a press release that he remains “energized and honored” to serve the 6th District.
“I am proud of my consistent votes for fiscal conservatism balanced with a proven track record of providing outstanding constituent service,” Coble said in the press release issued by his office.
Coble recalled that when he first ran for Congress, he told voters he would “take a sharp pencil to runaway federal spending” in Washington.
“Just recently, when I voted against the so-called stimulus package, I showed that my pencil is still sharp, and that I remain committed to prudent fiscal spending. That bill was applying a very expensive Band-Aid to an economy that needs major surgery,” Coble said. “I will continue to remind voters during this campaign that I will always support serious discipline in federal spending. I will work to make tax cuts permanent and deeper, while at the same time support funding for those programs that are cost-effective and worthwhile.”
If re-elected, Coble said he hopes to remain a member of the Judiciary and Transportation committees. He’s the top Republican on the Judiciary subcommittee with jurisdiction over copyright, trademark and patent laws and said he looks forward “to working on those cutting edge issues that impact our economy in so many ways.”
“In addition, the next Congress will reauthorize our nation’s highway transportation funding priorities, and I hope to play a key role in those efforts. I remain convinced that we must repair and rebuild America’s failing infrastructure, and that by doing so, we will have a positive impact on the economic well-being of our nation. It may be one of the key issues addressed by the 111th Congress,” he said.
As a member of the Judiciary subcommittee that deals with terrorism, Coble said he will have a key role in shaping the nation’s efforts in combating international terrorism in the years to come. “As I have stated repeatedly over the past two plus years,” he said, “I want our troops in Iraq to come home sooner rather than later. I have resisted efforts to have Congress set the timetable for troop withdrawals. I continue to maintain that the commanders on the ground have to determine what is the right approach for allowing the Iraqis to assume more and more control over their own nation.”
Coble also said he will continue to be open and accessible citizens in the 6th District. “I have always said that a representative can only be effective if he or she meets with his constituents on a regular basis,” he said.
Johnny Jeffrey Carter, a Democrat from Summerville, also filed Tuesday in Raleigh for the 6th Congressional District.