Candidate Biography (submitted by candidate):

I was born January 31, 1951, the son of Virene and Richard Kissell. I grew up in Biscoe, attending Biscoe Elementary School and East Montgomery High School before going on to Wake Forest University, from which I graduated in 1973 with a degree in Economics. I then returned to Montgomery County, working in textiles for 27 years.

By 2001, with the effects of so-called free trade on the domestic textile industry, and the American manufacturing sector in general, obvious to see, I went to work as a public school teacher. I left the mill one day and was standing before a room of high school students the next.

Education and public service had always been very important to my family. My mother is a retired mathematics teacher, and my father was a decorated WWII veteran who served as Postmaster for Biscoe.  I felt a real calling to move into education. The seven years I sent in the classroom were among the most challenging and rewarding and informative of my life.

One of the many lessons I learned working with young people for seven years, was that many of them felt their chance at a bright future in a strong nation had been squandered. They felt the promise of America was denied to them by debt, a shrinking job market and a sluggish economy.  

The connection between the missteps of government and the hopes and ambitions of our children was a major motivating factor in my decision to seek office. I thought our nation, and in particular our children, deserved a brighter future than loomed on the horizon at that time.

Since January, 2009, I have had the distinct honor of serving the people of North Carolina's 8th Congressional District. My wife, Tina, and I have two daughters, Jenny and Aspen.

When I asked for your vote in 2008, I promised to be my own man, to keep my word, and to do what I thought was best for our district without regard to politics. That is what I have done. I have had no agenda other than to represent you. 

No issue is more important than reviving the economy and bringing jobs to our district.  We must get our district back on its feet. And I will continue to fight to bring jobs and industry back to the 8th District.

I am proud to have supported large tax cuts for working families, helped expand incentives to small businesses to hire more people and raise wages, and to have fight to make sure banks started acting like banks again and returned to lending. My support of the stimulus package helped stabilize the economy. I will continue to work to make sure families in our district have all the opportunities they deserve, and will continue to work hard to create an environment in which business can prosper.

I know all too well how our textile industry has been devastated by bad trade deals. I am leading the fight to correct the mistake made by government in the past, mistakes that led to the shipping of tens of thousands of jobs overseas. I have sponsored legislation to repeal NAFTA, and I believe we must reevaluate deals that have had a negative impact our manufacturing sector.

My word is my bond, and I will continue to remain above partisan bickering and do what is right by the people back home. I was sent to Washington by the citizens of North Carolina's Eighth District to represent their interests. And that is who what motivates and informs every vote I take in Congress.