Roy Carter

Roy Carter is the Democratic candidate in the 2008 congressional elections for the 5th Congressional District (map) of North Carolina. On May 6, 2008, he and Diane Hamby engaged in a tightly contested Democratic primary. After provisional ballots were counted, Hamby conceded, leaving Carter to challenge incumbent Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.) in the November election.

Positions, record and controversies
Information about Roy Carter's positions can be found at his web site.

Bio
Roy Carter, the youngest of three children, grew up in rural North Carolina and has lived nearly all of his life in various North Carolina mountain communities. He is the son of Marion "Bill" Carter, a tobacco farmer, and Jessie Buckner Carter, an assembly-line worker. According to his campaign site, Carter "had a childhood rich in the traditional Democratic values of hard-work, fellowship, love and prayer."

Carter's campaign Web site indicates politics and the Democratic Party have been integral to his life, and that "family, faith and athletics played key roles in Roy’s upbringing, providing him a solid foundation on which to survive tragedy, achieve his goals and grow into a man of character and integrity."

Carter described his mother, his older brother Billy &mdash; who died of cancer at the age of seventeen &mdash; and his high school football coach Clyde Peek, as the greatest influences in his life. . Billy "inspired his little brother to work hard at achieving his goals, persevering through tough times while appreciating each day."

On the advice of his mentor, Coach Peek, Carter enrolled at East Tennessee State University. Carter "worked his way through school, often commuting over the mountain in an old car, determined to fulfill his dream of earning a college degree," according to his Web site. His mother, Jesse, suffered a brain aneurism, which claimed her life midway through Roy’s college career. Informed by his experience, Carter has said he strongly believes low interest loans and need-based grants "must be expanded in order to allow all young people the opportunity of a higher education."

In 1965, Carter married Patricia Burleson of nearby Barnardsville, N.C. Upon graduation Roy embarked on a coaching and teaching career that has spanned forty years. Pat, also a career educator, recently retired after twenty-two years as an elementary school teacher. Married forty-three years, Roy and Pat have three children, one grandson and one granddaughter.

2008 elections
On May 6, 2008, Carter and Diane Hamby engaged in a tightly contested Democratic primary. After provisional ballots were counted, Hamby conceded, leaving Carter to face incumbent Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.) in the November election.

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Campaign contributions
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Committees
Carter will be assigned committees if and when he is elected to Congress.

Contact
Official Carter for Congress Web site [mailto:E-mail@RoyCarterforcongress.com E-mail@RoyCarterforcongress.com]

Related SourceWatch articles

 * 2008 U.S. congressional elections
 * 2008 U.S. congressional election dates
 * Portal:North Carolina and the U.S. Congress

External resources

 * 2008 Race Tracker page on North Carolina's 5th Congressional District
 * Official Roy Carter for U.S. Congress website