With more than 20 candidates seeking the Democratic presidential nomination and congressional hopefuls actively putting together campaigns, it’s easy to forget there’s still an undecided House race from the 2018 midterm cycle.
The protracted fight for North Carolina’s Republican-leaning 9th Congressional District is set to be settled on Sept. 10 after the Tar Heel State’s Board of Elections earlier this year ordered a special election. The decision to have constituents recast their ballots was triggered by an investigation into 2018 GOP nominee Mark Harris. The original victor by less than 1,000 votes, Harris’ campaign consultant drew charges of voter fraud.
Despite President Trump winning the south-central North Carolina district by 12 points in 2016, Republican candidate Dan Bishop, 54, only has a 4-point advantage on Democratic contender Dan McCready, 35, according to a JMC poll released in May. Jeff Scott, a Libertarian, and Allen Smith, of the Green Party, are additionally in the running.
McCready’s been aggressive in his effort to flip the seat, out-fundraising and outspending his opponent. Bishop, previously a member of North Carolina’s House of Representatives, was elected to the state’s Senate last year. In a strategy memo shared with supporters this week, Colleen Martin, McCready’s campaign manager, acknowledged the battle would be “tough.”