Pittenger -- Lieutenant Governor for NC

Robert Pittenger
FOR LT. GOVERNOR

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

January 14, 2008
Contact: Bob Rosser 919.782.5292

RALEIGH - State Senator Robert Pittenger (R-Mecklenburg) announced today that he is running for the office of Lt. Governor of North Carolina. "I am running for Lt. Governor because I think we can do better in North Carolina," said Pittenger. "How can I sit on the sidelines when I see the unlimited opportunity and potential of our people crippled by a political leadership in Raleigh that runs state government with an iron fist? To them it seems to be all about power. But the Democrats have gotten it all backwards. Government is there to serve the people - not the other way around. It's not about power, it's about the people."

Robert Pittenger, a Charlotte real estate investor, is serving his third term in the North Carolina Senate. He and his wife Suzanne have four children. Pittenger has served as President of the Charlotte Foreign Policy Forum, hosting black-tie discussion dinners and school events with Henry Kissinger, William Buckley, Gerald Ford, Jack Kemp, John Major, Margaret Thatcher, Colin Powell, Norman Schwarzkopf, James Baker, Ronald Reagan, Mikhail Gorbachev, Shi mon Peres, George Bush, and Lech Walesa.

Senator Pittenger has served as President of the Foundation for NC Future, an organization whose efforts pushed the Democrat legislative leadership to enact the Joint Legislative Program Evaluation Oversight Committee. He has been a leader in the fight for zero-based budgeting, is the State Chairman for Americans for Tax Reform, and was awarded the Taxpayers Advocate Award by Americans for Prosperity.

A major theme of Pittenger's announcement was reform of state government. "State government has become too big," said Pittenger, "spends too much - and takes too much from taxpayers for the services they get....As a state senator I have seen a Democrat political leadership that muzzles those who question their arrogant stranglehold on power. This leadership has embarrassed our state with scandal after scandal."

Pittenger has led the push for more accountability in government and played a major role in getting the Democrat legislative leadership to appoint a study commission to look for areas in state government where waste could be eliminated through consolidation and efficiencies. "Big government is not the answer. We need to free people from their tax burden so they'll have more money to do what's best for their families and businesses. But we have to start with state spending and the size of government."

Pittenger closed his remarks by saying: "This campaign is an opportunity to unify people who believe in the principles that made this state and country great - hard work, limited government, a dedication to family and to God, and an independence that is the hallmark of the North Carolina spirit. I believe with new leadership we can make positive changes in our state and unleash that spirit to make North Carolina a better place."

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