Joseph R. McLaughlin (North Carolina politician)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Joseph R. McLaughlin (born September 16, 1954, Wilmington, Delaware) is a Republican member of the Onslow County, North Carolina Board of Commissioners, and was a candidate for U.S. Congress challenging incumbent Walter B. Jones, Jr. for the Republican nomination in North Carolina's 3rd congressional district.

1 Biography
2 2008 congressional race
3 References
4 External links

[edit] Biography

McLaughlin received a presidential appointment to the United States Air Force Academy from President Richard Nixon, graduating in 1976. He served as an infantry platoon leader in the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, earned a Masters of Science from the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California and was a graduate of the Army Command and General Staff College in Leavenworth, Kansas. McLaughlin works as a financial advisor in Jacksonville, North Carolina. ^[1]

[edit] 2008 congressional race

Joe McLaughlin unsuccessfully challenged incumbent Republican Walter B. Jones, Jr. in the Republican primary. Walter Jones has become an outspoken critic of the Iraq war, ^[2] and has recently taken other liberal positions that made him unpopular with some conservative Republicans in his district. ^[3] McLaughlin ran on an economic and socially conservative platform, and opposed setting timetables for withdrawal from Iraq. ^[4] Poorly funded, he was defeated in the May primary by a 60% to 40% margin.