He backed FDA bill 'for children'
Jump to full article: Raleigh (NC) News & Observer, 2009-06-13
Author: BARBARA BARRETT - Washington correspondent
Intro: When U.S. Rep. Bob Etheridge pondered his vote on sweeping legislation to regulate tobacco through the Food and Drug Administration, he had to consider two interests close to his heart: tobacco and kids.
Etheridge, a grandfather and conservative Democrat from Lillington, sided with the kids.
It was the obvious choice for many of his fellow Democrats, but the issue put Etheridge in a delicate spot-- between the growing number of suburban families in his district and the tobacco farmers who have supported him for years.
"It wasn't an easy vote," Etheridge said. "No kidding. It wasn't. But you've got to vote. You've got to make a decision."
Etheridge, 67, is the only former tobacco farmer in Congress. And although he sold out his quotas after the federal buyout four years ago, he still raises other crops.
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