Rep. Mike McIntyre (D-N.C.) wouldn't say if he backed President Obama's reelection when twice confronted by a local reporter on the issue Thursday.
When asked if he supported Obama, Mcintyre told the reporter he wasn't doing "political interviews" at a prayer breakfast because "it wouldn't be appropriate."
When asked later that day whether he would discuss his position, McIntyre told the reporter, "Not today."
The local segment was quickly picked up by the National Republican Congressional Committee, which sent the video around to reporters along with a statement saying McIntyre "won't be able to hide from his record of supporting President Obama's failed economic policies that have led to North Carolina's high unemployment."
McIntyre, a conservative Blue Dog Democrat, is locked in a tough reelection battle after the Republican State Legislature targeted him in redistricting, tilting his Republican-leaning district even farther in the direction of the GOP. The new district would have given Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) 58 percent of its vote in 2008, up from 52 percent in the old district.
McIntyre, who voted against Democrats' healthcare overhaul and was one of only two Democrats who voted to repeal it, can't be too closely tied to Obama. But he'll need the high African-American voter turnout Obama can bring to win reelection.
