Mark Harris enters race for NC’s District 8 Congressional seat following 2018 scandal

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WBTV) – Mark Harris announced Tuesday he will be seeking the Republican nomination for Congress in North Carolina’s eighth congressional district.

In his announcement, Harris said the decision comes after Congressman Dan Bishop announced he would be running for Attorney General.

“I’m back, and I’m not going anywhere,” Harris said in an announcement video posted to YouTube.

In 2018, Harris beat Democrat Dan McCready by 905 votes in the unofficial returns from that November’s election in the race for the state’s ninth congressional district.

The North Carolina State Board of Elections ultimately voted to not certify the results of that race, after then-Vice Chairman Joshua Malcolm raised questions of voting irregularities in Bladen and Robeson counties.

Allegations of election fraud mainly centered around absentee ballot harvesting, leading the NCSBE to hold a four-day hearing to determine whether to call a new election in late January 2019 that ended with Harris calling for a new election from the witness stand.

Related: Exclusive: Mark Harris addresses voter fraud allegations in race for 9th Congressional District

That prompted a special election, which Republican Dan Bishop won over McCready in September 2019. Harris did not run in the special election.

Charges were not filed against Harris as part of the probe into the 9th Congressional District scandal.

“I fully expect a flurry of lies and rumors from both Democrats and some from my own party,” Harris said in a statement Tuesday. “But as these political games play out, I’m focused on the glaring realities of today: the constant climb of daily living costs, a southern border that remains open, and hardworking Americans suffering from Bidenomics. As a pastor, father, and grandfather, I’m dedicated to prioritizing these challenges for the sake of our nation.”

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