special election A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, a bye-election in Ireland, a bypoll in India, or a Zimni election (Urdu: ضمنی انتخاب, supplementary election) in Pakistan, is an election used to f ...

was held on September 10, 2019, to fill the vacancy in

North Carolina's 9th congressional district The 9th congressional district of North Carolina is a congressional district in south-central North Carolina. The district's current boundaries were redrawn in February 2016 after a U.S. District Court overturned the existing boundaries because ...

in the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

for the remainder of the

116th United States Congress The 116th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the Senate and the House of Representatives. It convened in Washington, D.C., on January 3, 2019, and ended on Janu ...

. The seat had been vacant since the opening of the 116th Congress, following the refusal of the

North Carolina State Board of Elections The North Carolina State Board of Elections (NCSBE) is an agency of the North Carolina state government charged with the administration of the elections process, as well as campaign finance, and lobbying disclosure and compliance. The State Board ...

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 The 2018 election in North Carolina's 9th congressional district was held on November 6, 2018, to elect a member for North Carolina's 9th congressional district to the United States House of Representatives. Republican Mark Harris, an evange ...

. However, allegations of fraud in the election prevented its certification.New NC elections board sets date for 9th District hearing
'' WRAL'', February 4, 2019. Retrieved February 6, 2019. 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 Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

nominee in the 2018 election, ran again and faced no primary opposition. Among Republicans, neither Harris nor

Robert Pittenger The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, honou ...

, the

incumbent The incumbent is the current holder of an office or position, usually in relation to an election. In an election for president, the incumbent is the person holding or acting in the office of president before the election, whether seeking re-ele ...

whom Harris defeated in the 2018 primary election, filed to run. After winning the Republican primary by a large margin,

Dan Bishop James Daniel Bishop (born July 1, 1964) is an American attorney and politician serving as the U.S. representative for since 2019, when the district was numbered as the 9th. A Republican, his district includes south-central Mecklenburg, Union, ...

narrowly won the general election, garnering 50.7% of the vote to McCready's 48.7%.

Background

Office nameplate during interregnum for NC-9 2018-19

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

alleging that independent contractors working on behalf of Harris had illegally collected absentee ballots (

ballot harvesting Ballot collecting, also known as "ballot harvesting", is the gathering and submitting of completed absentee or mail-in voter ballots by third-party individuals, volunteers or workers, rather than submission by voters themselves directly to bal ...

). 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

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. Leslie McCrae 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

, attorney and state senator

Defeated in primary

*Chris Anglin, attorney and candidate for

North Carolina Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the State of North Carolina is the state of North Carolina's highest appellate court. Until the creation of the North Carolina Court of Appeals in the 1960s, it was the state's only appellate court. The Supreme Court consists ...

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the Unit ...

*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 Fern H. Shubert is a former Republican member of the North Carolina General Assembly representing the state's thirty-fifth Senate district, including constituents in Mecklenburg and Union counties. An accountant from Marshville, North Carolina ...

, 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 The Wake County Board of Commissioners is the governing board for Wake County, which includes the City of Raleigh. As of the 2010 census, the population of Wake County was 900,993 making it North Carolina's second most populated county. Its county ...

District 6 in 2018

Declined

* Dean Arp, state representative (endorsed Dan Bishop) *Dan Barry, chair of the Union County Republican Party and candidate for

in 2012 (endorsed Dan Bishop) * William M. Brawley, former state representative (endorsed Dan Bishop) *

Danny Britt Danny Earl Britt Jr. (born July 6, 1979) is a Republican member of the North Carolina Senate, having represented the 24th district and its predecessors since 2017. He is a Lt. Colonel in the North Carolina Army National Guard The North Carolina ...

, state senator (endorsed Dan Bishop) *

Andy Dulin Andy T. Dulin is an American politician. He was elected as a Republican to the North Carolina House of Representatives District 104, representing South-Central Charlotte, on November 8, 2016. He took office in January 2017 succeeding Dan Bishop w ...

, former state representative * Mark Harris, pastor, nominee for

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 Nat Robertson (born 1963) is an American businessman and politician, who served as the mayor of Fayetteville, North Carolina, from December 2, 2013, through December 2017. Robertson had previously served in the Fayetteville City Council for ei ...

, former mayor of Fayetteville, North Carolina *

Pat McCrory Patrick Lloyd McCrory (born October 17, 1956) is an American businessman, politician and radio host who served as the 74th governor of North Carolina from 2013 to 2017. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as the 53rd Mayor ...

, former Governor of North Carolina *

, former U.S. Representative (endorsed Matthew Ridenhour) *Kenny Smith, former

Charlotte Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populo ...

city councilman and nominee for mayor of Charlotte in 2017 (endorsed Dan Bishop) *

Scott Stone Scott Stone is an American politician and engineer who served as a Republican member of the North Carolina House of Representatives for the 105th from May 16, 2016, through the end of 2018. Education Stone graduated Clarkson University with a ...

, former state representative * Tommy Tucker, former state senator (endorsed Dan Bishop)

Endorsements

Polling

Results

Democratic primary

Candidates

Declared

* Dan McCready, former U.S. Marine, businessman, and nominee for

in 2018

Endorsements

Libertarian primary

Candidates

Declared

*Jeff Scott, nominee for

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 The middle class refers to a class of people in the middle of a social hierarchy, often defined by occupation, income, education, or social status. The term has historically been associated with modernity, capitalism and political debate. Com ...

, ending

gerrymandering In representative democracies, gerrymandering (, originally ) is the political manipulation of electoral district boundaries with the intent to create undue advantage for a party, group, or socioeconomic class within the constituency. The m ...

, renegotiating trade deals, and reducing military interventions overseas. His platform also supports protecting

Social Security Welfare, or commonly social welfare, is a type of government support intended to ensure that members of a society can meet basic human needs such as food and shelter. Social security may either be synonymous with welfare, or refer specifical ...

and Medicare, overturning ''Citizens United'', and granting full federal recognition to the

Lumbee Tribe The Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina is a state-recognized tribe in North Carolina. The tribe represents Lumbee people. They are not federally recognized as a Native American tribe. With an estimated 55,000 members, the Lumbee Tribe of North Carol ...

. Republican candidate

is best known for his opposition to

LGBT rights Rights affecting lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender ( LGBT) people vary greatly by country or jurisdiction—encompassing everything from the legal recognition of same-sex marriage to the death penalty for homosexuality. Notably, ...

, particularly the drafting of North Carolina's "

Bathroom Bill A bathroom bill is the common name for legislation or a statute that denies access to public toilets by gender or transgender identity. Bathroom bills affect access to sex-segregated public facilities for an individual based on a determination o ...

". During the early voting period for this election,

Hurricane Dorian Hurricane Dorian was an extremely powerful and catastrophic Category 5 Atlantic hurricane, which became the most intense tropical cyclone on record to strike the Bahamas, and tied for strongest landfall in the Atlantic basin. It is also rega ...

battered the eastern coast of the United States, necessitating early voting to be halted in several counties on the

Outer Banks The Outer Banks (frequently abbreviated OBX) are a string of barrier islands and spits off the coast of North Carolina and southeastern Virginia, on the east coast of the United States. They line most of the North Carolina coastline, separating ...

and elsewhere on the coast until the storm had passed.

Predictions

Endorsements

Polling

;with Mark Harris ;with generic Republican and Dan McCready ;with generic Republican and generic Democrat

Fundraising

Results

County results

Notes

;Partisan clients ;Additional candidates

References

External links

;Official campaign websites
Dan Bishop (R) for Congress

Dan McCready (D) for Congress

Jeff Scott (L) for Congress

Allen Smith (G) for Congress
{{2019 United States elections North Carolina 09 2019 09 North Carolina 09 United States House of Representatives 09 United States House of Representatives 2019 09 North Carolina 2019 09 September 2019 events in the United States