At first blush, it would seem a bit odd that North Carolina 10th District House of Representatives Congressman Patrick McHenry is facing not one but two primary challengers this spring.

After crushing a Republican primary opponent in 2008, then dispatching a well-funded Democrat in the general election by 16 percentage points, McHenry gained a third two-year term and seemed poised to hold the seat as long as he wants.

But with a district economy still in shambles and visible voter anger nationwide, as expressed through the various Tea Party movements, even otherwise-comfortable GOP incumbents are having to fend off upstart campaigns.

McHenry is being challenged by two largely self-financed opponents in the Republican primary - dentist and Iredell County Commissioner Scott Keadle, of Mooresville, and Vance Patterson, a Morganton businessman. And at least according to campaign finance reports through the end of the December, both candidates could make enough noise to keep McHenry on his toes.

According to Federal Election Commission reports, McHenry had raised more than $450,000 by the end of 2009, including $263,838 from political action committees such as tobacco giant R.J. Reynolds, pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca and financial heavyweight Bank of America.

In addition, McHenry has received nearly $190,000 in individual contributions, including $500 last summer from Bernhardt Furniture Chairman and CEO Alex Bernhardt.

Still, McHenry is not exactly awash in cash, reporting $150,000 in outstanding debt and just over $149,000 in available funds.

McHenry campaign manager Ryan Minto said the money chase is secondary to the congressman's commitment to continue representing the interests of the district, which has been struggling to recover from the several economic downturn.

"Patrick is fighting hard for Western North Carolina," Minto said. "We're confident that we'll have the resources we need. Voters in the 10th District know that when it comes to health care, government spending, taxes and traditional values, Patrick represents them in Washington."

Of the two challengers, Keadle (pronounced "Kay-del") would appear to pose the bigger threat, given his current standing as an elected official and his willingness to spend considerable personal funds. Keadle has advanced his campaign $485,000, while raising more than $45,000 through individual contributions.

Of note, Hickory businessman Dean Proctor, who served as finance chairman during Catawba County Sheriff David Huffman's bitter 2004 runoff loss to McHenry, has contributed $1,000 to Keadle's campaign, FEC records show.

Keadle said he is optimistic about his campaign effort within a district that is comprised of all or parts of 10 counties, including Caldwell, Catawba and Burke.

"Things are going great," Keadle said. "We expect to win. We'll use every kind of communication method to get our message to the voter."

Keadle touts his political inexperience as an asset and has signed a pledge to serve no more than three terms in office. On matters of policy, Keadle said McHenry "is a little bit to the left of me on a couple of subjects" and called into question the congressman's commitment to fiscal conservatism.

As for Patterson, he has loaned his campaign $250,000 and has focused his grassroots push on bringing fresh accountability to Washington. A feature of Patterson's effort is his "stump" speech in which he literally stands on a tree stump to deliver his message. Patterson is scheduled to appear in Lenoir today at 1 p.m. at the Square in downtown, marking the second time he has done his "stump" speech in the city.

"The reaction from the people has been outstanding," said Patterson, president of Patterson Fan Company and several other businesses. "I'm out there daily talking to people. People ask me why I am running against a three-term incumbent Republican. I tell them I'm not running against a congressman, I am running for Congress. I have grown businesses and created jobs."

The campaign, however, has hit a few stumps along the way. Patterson had to refile his campaign finance information with the FEC in an electronic format, while campaign manager Chazz Clevinger tendered his resignation on Wednesday.

"(Chazz) had decided that we were headed in different directions," Patterson said. "He was very talented, but we had different ideas about the campaign. I'm more the real world business entrepreneur. We've got a brand that we are building here."

While reluctant to take on McHenry directly, Patterson summarized his campaign theme as being one of leadership.

"If (people) are happy the way things are going, they shouldn't make a change," Patterson said. "But most people aren't. We need leaders, but we just don't have them."

The three campaigns will continue to ramp up activities prior to the beginning of early voting on April 15. The GOP primary is scheduled for May 4.

As it currently stands, the GOP nominee will face Democrat Anne Fischer, a Morganton businesswoman and former educator in the November general election. McHenry easily defeated Fischer in 2004, and no Democrat has represented Caldwell County in Washington since 1962.