# 2019 North Carolina's 9th congressional district special election

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vte :
A special election was held on September 10, 2019, to fill the vacancy in North Carolina's 9th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives for the remainder of the 116th United States Congress. The seat had been vacant since the opening of the 116th Congress, following the refusal of the North Carolina State Board of Elections to certify the results of the November 2018 election in the district due to allegations of electoral fraud. Because of the allegations, the race received substantial national attention.
In the original election, Mark Harris, a Republican, led Democrat Dan McCready by 905 votes in the unofficial returns for the 2018 North Carolina's 9th congressional district election. However, allegations of fraud in the election prevented its certification. After hearing evidence, including testimony from Harris himself and his own son, the board unanimously voted on February 21 to call a new election.
The primary was held on May 14, 2019, and the general election was held on September 10. A total of 10 Republican candidates qualified for the primary. Dan McCready, the Democratic Party nominee in the 2018 election, ran again and faced no primary opposition. Among Republicans, neither Harris nor Robert Pittenger, the incumbent whom Harris defeated in the 2018 primary election, filed to run.
After winning the Republican primary by a large margin, Dan Bishop narrowly won the general election, garnering 50.7% of the vote to McCready's 48.7%.

## Background

The 2018 congressional district election ended with Republican Mark Harris leading Democrat Dan McCready by 905 votes, the closest race in the district in over sixty years. While McCready had conceded defeat, the North Carolina Democratic Party alleged that electoral fraud had taken place, and filed affidavits with the North Carolina State Board of Elections alleging that independent contractors working on behalf of Harris had illegally collected absentee ballots (ballot harvesting). The North Carolina Board of Elections voted unanimously not to certify the election and later ordered an evidentiary hearing to be held. The board also opened an investigation around the activities of Leslie McCrae Dowless, a campaign operative with felony fraud and perjury convictions, who was hired by the Harris campaign. Incoming Democratic Majority Leader Steny Hoyer announced that the United States House of Representatives would not seat Harris until the fraud investigation had been completed.
After a delay caused by restructuring of the Board of Elections and delayed appointment of members by Republican allies of Harris, the board set hearings to begin on February 18, 2019. On that day the regulator reported that it had found evidence of "a coordinated, unlawful and substantially resourced absentee ballot scheme" that may have involved more than 1,000 ballots or ballot request forms. On February 20, Harris's son, John Harris, a federal prosecutor in North Carolina, testified to the election board that he had repeatedly warned his father not to hire Dowless because Dowless appeared to have previously engaged in illegal tactics to win votes.
On February 21, Harris announced that "the public's confidence in the ninth district seat general election has been undermined to an extent that a new election is warranted." The Board of Elections voted unanimously to call a special election, with a primary if necessary on May 14, to fill the vacancy. This was the first House of Representatives election to require a do-over since 1974.
Dowless was indicted and arrested on February 27, 2019. He faced felony charges of obstruction of justice, conspiracy to commit obstruction of justice and two possession of absentee ballots charges. In July 2019, the Wake County district attorney also announced charges against Lisa Britt, Ginger S. Eason, Woody D. Hester, James Singletary, Jessica Dowless and Kelly Hendrix, and additional charges against Leslie McCrae Dowless.

## Republican primary
### Candidates
#### Nominee

* Dan Bishop, attorney and state senator

#### Defeated in primary

* Chris Anglin, attorney and candidate for North Carolina Supreme Court in 2018
* Leigh Brown, realtor, CEO and author
* Kathie Day, realtor
* Gary Dunn, perennial candidate
* Matthew Ridenhour, former Mecklenburg County commissioner
* Stevie Rivenbark, businesswoman
* Stony Rushing, Union County commissioner
* Fern Shubert, former state senator and candidate for governor in 2004
* Albert Lee Wiley Jr., perennial candidate

#### Withdrew

* David Blackwelder, Wake Forest police officer and nominee for Wake County Board of Commissioners District 6 in 2018

#### Declined

* Dean Arp, state representative (endorsed Dan Bishop)
* Dan Barry, chair of the Union County Republican Party and candidate for North Carolina's 9th congressional district in 2012 (endorsed Dan Bishop)
* William M. Brawley, former state representative (endorsed Dan Bishop)
* Danny Britt, state senator (endorsed Dan Bishop)
* Andy Dulin, former state representative
* Mark Harris, pastor, nominee for North Carolina's 9th congressional district in 2018, candidate for North Carolina's 9th congressional district in 2016, and candidate for U.S. Senate in 2014 (endorsed Stony Rushing)
* Nat Robertson, former mayor of Fayetteville, North Carolina
* Pat McCrory, former governor of North Carolina
* Robert Pittenger, former U.S. Representative (endorsed Matthew Ridenhour)
* Kenny Smith, former Charlotte city councilman and nominee for mayor of Charlotte in 2017 (endorsed Dan Bishop)
* Scott Stone, former state representative
* Tommy Tucker, former state senator (endorsed Dan Bishop)

### Endorsements

Politicians
* Ted Cruz, U.S. Senator from Texas
* Sue Myrick, former U.S. Representative
* Tom McInnis, State Senator
* Wesley Meredith, State Senator
* Craig Horn, State Representative
* Bob Rucho, State Senator
* Rob Bryan, State Representative
* John Szoka, State Representative
* Paul Bailey, Matthews Mayor
* Richard Vinroot, Former Charlotte Mayor
* Jim Puckett, Mecklenburg County Commissioner
* Bill James, Mecklenburg County Commissioner
* Karen Bentley, Mecklenburg County Commissioner
* Barbara Dement, Matthews Councilwoman
* Dale Dalton, Mint Hill Commissioner
* Richard Newton, Mint Hill Commissioner
* Mike Cochrane, Mint Hill Commissioner
Conservative organizations
* North Carolina Values Coalition, non-partisan, statewide grassroots network of North Carolinians who support and advocate for pro-family positions
* Club for Growth, national network for limited government and economic freedom
Politicians
* Ron Paul, former U.S. Representative from Texas
* Rand Paul, U.S. Senator from Kentucky
* Robert Pittenger, former U.S. Representative
* Tariq Bokhari, Charlotte City Councilman

### Polling

| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Chris Anglin | Dan Bishop | Leigh Brown | Kathie Day | Gary Dunn | Matthew Ridenhour | Stevie Rivenbark | Stony Rushing | Fern Shubert | Other | Undecided |
| Public Policy Polling | April 29–30, 2019 | 592 | ± 5.1% | 3% | 31% | 6% | 5% | 1% | 9% | 2% | 17% | 4% | – | 21% |
| WPA Intelligence (R) | April 29–30, 2019 | 409 | ± 4.9% | – | 30% | 5% | – | – | 6% | 1% | 19% | 2% | 5% | 32% |
| Meeting Street Research (R) | April 22–23, 2019 | 400 | – | – | 36% | 3% | – | – | 13% | – | 18% | – | – | – |
| WPA Intelligence (R) | ~April 9, 2019 | – | – | – | 22% | 1% | – | – | 6% | 2% | 18% | 2% | 3% | 46% |

### Results

Republican primary results :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | Dan Bishop | 14,405 | 47.68 |
| | Republican | Stony Rushing | 5,882 | 19.47 |
| | Republican | Matthew Ridenhour | 5,166 | 17.10 |
| | Republican | Leigh Brown | 2,672 | 8.84 |
| | Republican | Stevie Rivenbark Hull | 906 | 3.00 |
| | Republican | Fern Shubert | 438 | 1.45 |
| | Republican | Chris Anglin | 382 | 1.26 |
| | Republican | Kathie Day | 193 | 0.64 |
| | Republican | Gary Dunn | 105 | 0.35 |
| | Republican | Albert Lee Wiley Jr. | 62 | 0.21 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 30,211 | 100 |

## Democratic primary
### Candidates
#### Declared

* Dan McCready, former U.S. Marine, businessman, and nominee for North Carolina's 9th congressional district in 2018

### Endorsements

Federal politicians
* Cory Booker, U.S. Senator (D-NJ)
* Kirsten Gillibrand, U.S. Senator (D-NY)
* Kamala Harris, U.S. Senator (D-CA)
* Seth Moulton, U.S. Representative (D-MA)
* Adam Schiff, U.S. Representative (D-CA) and Chairman of the United States House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence
* Eric Swalwell, U.S. Representative (D-CA)
* Elizabeth Warren, U.S. Senator (D-MA)
Statewide and local politicians
* Dan Blue, State Senate Minority Leader
* Pete Buttigieg, Mayor of South Bend
* Jim Hunt, former Governor of North Carolina
* Jeff Jackson, State Senator
* Vi Lyles, Mayor of Charlotte
Organizations
* League of Conservation Voters
* Blue Dog Coalition

## Libertarian primary
### Candidates
#### Declared

* Jeff Scott, nominee for North Carolina's 9th congressional district in 2018

## Green primary
### Candidates
#### Declared

* Allen Smith, perennial candidate

## General election

Dan McCready, the Democratic candidate, ran on a platform of cutting taxes on the middle class, ending gerrymandering, renegotiating trade deals, and reducing military interventions overseas. His platform also supports protecting Social Security and Medicare, overturning Citizens United, and granting full federal recognition to the Lumbee Tribe. Republican candidate Dan Bishop is best known for his opposition to LGBT rights, particularly the drafting of North Carolina's "Bathroom Bill".
During the early voting period for this election, Hurricane Dorian battered the eastern coast of the United States, necessitating early voting to be halted in several counties on the Outer Banks and elsewhere on the coast until the storm had passed.

### Predictions

| Source | Ranking | As of |
| The Cook Political Report | Tossup | September 6, 2019 |
| Inside Elections | Tossup | September 4, 2019 |
| Sabato's Crystal Ball | Tossup | September 5, 2019 |

### Endorsements

Federal politicians
* Donald Trump, 45th President of the United States
* Mike Pence, 48th Vice President of the United States
* Ted Cruz, U.S. Senator (R-TX)
* Thom Tillis, U.S. Senator (R-NC)
* Ted Budd, U.S. Representative (R-NC)
* Kevin McCarthy, House Minority Leader
* Mark Meadows, U.S. Representative (R-NC)
* Mark E. Green, U.S. Representative (R-TN)
* David Rouzer, U.S. Representative (R-NC)
* Mark Walker, U.S. Representative (R-NC)
* Sue Myrick, former U.S. Representative (R-NC)
Statewide and local politicians
* Dan Forest, Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina
* Tom McInnis, State Senator
* Wesley Meredith, State Senator
* D. Craig Horn, State Representative
* Bob Rucho, State Senator
* Rob Bryan, State Representative
* John Szoka, State Representative
* Todd Johnson, State Senator
* Dean Arp, State Representative
* Tommy Tucker, State Senator
* Paul Bailey, Matthews Mayor
* Richard Vinroot, former Mayor of Charlotte
* Jim Puckett, Mecklenburg County Commissioner
* Bill James, Mecklenburg County Commissioner
* Karen Bentley, Mecklenburg County Commissioner
* Barbara Dement, Matthews Councilwoman
* Dale Dalton, Mint Hill Commissioner
* Richard Newton, Mint Hill Commissioner
* Mike Cochrane, Mint Hill Commissioner
Individuals
* Kimberly Guilfoyle, television news personality
* Donald Trump Jr., businessman
* Ronna McDaniel, Chair of the RNC
* Kayleigh McEnany, political commentator
Organizations
* North Carolina Values Coalition
* Club for Growth
* NRA Political Victory Fund
* North Carolina Right to Life
* U.S. Chamber of Commerce
* National Federation of Independent Business
Federal politicians
* Alma Adams, U.S. Representative (D-NC)
* Joe Biden, 47th Vice President of the United States, former U.S. Senator (D-DE)
* Julian Castro, former U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
* Cory Booker, U.S. Senator (D-NJ)
* Cheri Bustos, U.S. Representative (D-IL)
* Sean Casten, U.S. Representative (D-IL)
* Dwight Evans, U.S. Representative (D-PA)
* Kirsten Gillibrand, U.S. Senator (D-NY)
* Deb Haaland, U.S. Representative (D-NM)
* Kamala Harris, U.S. Senator (D-CA)
* Amy Klobuchar, U.S. Senator (D-MN)
* Conor Lamb, U.S. Representative (D-PA)
* Ted Lieu, U.S. Representative (D-CA)
* Seth Moulton, U.S. Representative (D-MA)
* Beto O'Rourke, former U.S. Representative (D-TX)
* Adam Schiff, U.S. Representative (D-CA) and Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee
* Mikie Sherrill, U.S. Representative (D-NJ)
* Abigail Spanberger, U.S. Representative (D-VA)
* Eric Swalwell, U.S. Representative (D-CA)
* Lauren Underwood, U.S. Representative (D-IL)
* Elizabeth Warren, U.S. Senator (D-MA)
Statewide and local politicians
* Josh Stein, Attorney General of North Carolina
* Steve Bullock, Governor of Montana
* Dan Blue, State Senate Minority Leader
* Pete Buttigieg, Mayor of South Bend, Indiana
* Becky Carney, State Representative
* Cal Cunningham, former State Senator
* Terry Van Duyn, State Senator
* Harvey Gantt, former Mayor of Charlotte
* Ken Goodman, commissioner of the North Carolina Industrial Commission and former State Representative
* Wayne Goodwin, chairman of the North Carolina Democratic Party and former North Carolina Commissioner of Insurance
* Charles Graham, State Representative
* Wesley Harris, State Representative
* Jim Hunt, former Governor of North Carolina
* Jeff Jackson, State Senator
* Vi Lyles, Mayor of Charlotte
* Natasha Marcus State Senator
* Gene McLaurin, former State Senator and former mayor of Rockingham, North Carolina
* Robert F. Orr, former Associate Justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court (R)
* Erica D. Smith, State Senator
* Jane W. Smith, former State Senator
Organizations
* Blue Dog Coalition
* End Citizens United
* Equality North Carolina
* Human Rights Campaign
* Humane Society of the United States's Legislative Fund
* League of Conservation Voters
* New Democrat Coalition
* National Wildlife Federation's Action Fund
* North Carolina Association of Educators
* Sierra Club North Carolina Chapter
* VoteVets.org
* New Politics
Individuals
* Morris Davis, former air force officer
* Stanley A. McChrystal, former army general
* Evan McMullin, former political candidate
* Debra Messing, actress
* Michael Moore, filmmaker
* Malcolm Nance, former navy officer
* Piper Perabo, actress
* Tom Perez, Chair of the DNC
* Neera Tanden, policy advisor
* Gina Ortiz Jones, political candidate
* Jennifer Hale, actress
* Nell Scovell, writer
* Grey DeLisle, actress
* Robbie Rist, actor and activist
Newspapers & news websites
* The Charlotte Observer

### Polling

| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Dan Bishop (R) | Dan McCready (D) | Other | Undecided |
| co/efficient | September 5–6, 2019 | 1,175 LV | ± 3.9% | 45% | 48% | – | 7% |
| co/efficient | September 5–6, 2019 | 1,175 LV | ± 3.9% | 44% | 44% | 5% | 7% |
| GAJ Solutions (R) | August 26–28, 2019 | 500 | ± 4.0% | 46% | 45% | 3% | 5% |
| Harper Polling/Clarity Campaign Labs | August 26–28, 2019 | 551 LV | ± 4.2% | 42% | 46% | 3% | 8% |
| ALG Research (D) | July 15–18, 2019 | 450 LV | ± 4.6% | 46% | 46% | – | 8% |
| Atlantic Media & Research (R) | May 20–30, 2019 | 358 LV | ± 5.2% | 39% | 41% | 3% | 16.8% |
| JMC Analytics | May 21–24, 2019 | 350 LV | ± 5.2% | 46% | 42% | 2% | 10% |
Hypothetical polling :
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Mark Harris (R) | Dan McCready (D) | Undecided |
| Atlantic Media & Research | December 2018 | – | – | 43% | 46% | 11% |
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Generic Republican | Dan McCready (D) | Other | Undecided |
| JMC Analytics | May 21–24, 2019 | 350 | ± 5.2% | 52% | 41% | 2% | 2% |
| DCCC Targeting and Analytics (D) | February 24–25, 2019 | 518 | ± 4.3% | 46% | 50% | – | – |
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Generic Republican | Generic Democrat | Undecided |
| Atlantic Media & Research | May 20–30, 2019 | 358 | ± 5.2% | 46% | 38% | 16% |
| Atlantic Media & Research | December 2018 | – | – | 45% | 36% | 19% |

### Fundraising

Campaign finance reports as of August 21, 2019 :
| Candidate (party) | Total receipts | Total disbursements | Cash on hand |
| Dan McCready (D) | $4,950,881.11 | $4,470,374.25 | $818,345.51 |
| Dan Bishop (R) | $1,954,334.64 | $1,761,558.40 | $192,776.24 |
| Source: Federal Election Commission ||||

### Results

North Carolina's 9th congressional district special election, 2019 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Republican | Dan Bishop | 96,573 | 50.69 | +1.44 |
| | Democratic | Dan McCready | 92,785 | 48.70 | −0.23 |
| | Libertarian | Jeff Scott | 773 | 0.41 | −1.40 |
| | Green | Allen Smith | 375 | 0.20 | N/A |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 190,506 | 100.00 | N/A |
| | Republican hold | Republican hold | Republican hold | Republican hold | Republican hold |

### County results

Vote breakdown by county :
| | Dan Bishop Republican | Dan Bishop Republican | Dan McCready Democrat | Dan McCready Democrat | Jeff Scott Libertarian | Jeff Scott Libertarian | Allen Smith Green | Allen Smith Green | Total |
| County | Votes | % | Votes | % | Votes | % | Votes | % | Votes |
| Anson | 2,381 | 42.67% | 3,173 | 56.86% | 15 | 0.27% | 11 | 0.20% | 5,580 |
| Bladen | 3,496 | 59.32% | 2,371 | 40.23% | 15 | 0.25% | 11 | 0.19% | 5,893 |
| Cumberland | 7,498 | 49.85% | 7,471 | 49.67% | 42 | 0.28% | 31 | 0.21% | 15,042 |
| Mecklenburg | 28,862 | 43.42% | 37,193 | 55.96% | 272 | 0.41% | 140 | 0.21% | 66,467 |
| Richmond | 4,727 | 51.96% | 4,309 | 47.37% | 39 | 0.43% | 22 | 0.24% | 9,097 |
| Robeson | 10,378 | 49.08% | 10,669 | 50.45% | 58 | 0.27% | 41 | 0.19% | 21,146 |
| Scotland | 2,816 | 43.29% | 3,655 | 56.19% | 21 | 0.32% | 13 | 0.20% | 6,505 |
| Union | 36,415 | 59.92% | 23,944 | 39.40% | 311 | 0.51% | 106 | 0.17% | 60,776 |