Candidate Biography (submitted by campaign):

Throughout his life, Harry Taylor has given generously of his time and energy to such organizations as Big Brothers, Habitat for Humanity, Outward Bound, the Sierra Club and the Charlotte Folk Society, associations in which he has served as both leader and participant. Helping to develop hope, self-esteem and courage in disadvantaged youth has been a lifetime pursuit, as has his advocacy for a clean, safe planet for our youth to inherit.

Harry has also been a tireless political activist, working through grassroots organizations to protect and defend the principles he holds sacred. He is best known for his courageous-and courteous-confrontation of President Bush in Charlotte in April of 2006, a “shot heard ’round the world.” Harry Taylor was born and raised in northern New Jersey, earned a B.A. from Colgate University, served in the US Air Force, lived and worked in real estate and development in Colorado for many years and relocated to Charlotte in 1987. Owner of a highly regarded commercial real estate brokerage, Harry is also an enthusiastic and talented “old-time country” musician (he plays banjo, mandolin and fiddle). It is from his music life that Harry has become convinced that putting aside differences and focusing on solutions is not only possible, but essential. “After all, music is a universal language,” Harry says. “It allows people from incredibly diverse backgrounds to come together and create something that pleases all of us-something that comes a little bit from the heart of every one of us.”

As Americans, we face serious challenges in the form of security, economic vitality, healthcare, energy dependence, education and climate change.  At a time when we face these challenges, our leaders don’t lead…and don’t unite…worse, they don’t intend to unite. 

We see this truth in a divided Congress unable to end this war.
We see this truth in a divided Congress that’s piled up three trillion dollars in debt in just the past seven years.

We see this truth in a divided Congress that shamefully stands by as 47 million Americans go without healthcare coverage, watching as thousands of our citizens literally die every year from lack of coverage, and hundreds of thousands more each year are forced to file for bankruptcy under the weight of catastrophic medical bills.

We see this truth in a divided Congress that hasn’t lifted a finger to deal with energy independence and climate change.

If our representatives are not in Washington to address and solve these challenges, willing to work together regardless of what party they belong to, they don’t deserve to be there.

We face these challenges, not as Democrats or Republicans…but as Americans.  The system in Washington is broken.  We need to fix it.  That is why I seek to represent the people of North Carolina’s District 9 in the U.S. House of Representatives.  It is time to put the power of our government back into the hands of its citizens, and out of the hands of entrenched incumbents beholden to special interests whose principal motivation is to cling to power, influence and wealth.