from our Republican losses in November.

I wasn't elected to vote in lockstep with party leaders, particularly when they support things that are bad for the country, like the Wall Street bailouts. Similarly I have proposed spending cuts - like eliminating foreign aid and the federal Department of Education; halting the bailouts of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac; cutting off funding for Obamacare; and stopping the war in Afghanistan – which they have been unwilling to make.

Republican voters overwhelmingly supported my positions in my primary re-election. In the general election I was honored to receive the highest percentage of any Republican running for congress in the state of North Carolina. Nationally, the verdict on our party’s tactics was less kind.

While some in Washington think that putting constituents and common sense conservative principles first is cause for retribution, I was elected to be an independent conservative voice for Eastern North Carolina, and that's what I'll continue to be.