In North Carolina, Democrat Dan McCready withdraws concession in disputed congressional race


On Thursday, Dan McCready, the Democratic candidate in North Carolina's 9th congressional district race, withdrew his concession, after it was alleged that absentee ballots in two counties were illegally collected from voters.
McCready conceded to Republican Mark Harris on Nov. 6, but last week, an operative working on Harris' behalf named McCrae Dowless was accused of leading a group of people who went to homes across Bladen and Robeson counties and picked up incomplete ballots from voters. The state elections board has not certified the results, due to "claims of numerous irregularities and concerted fraudulent activities related to absentee mail ballots," and the board and Wake County District Attorney have both started investigations, The Charlotte Observer reports.
In a message he posted on social media Thursday, McCready said he "didn't serve overseas in the Marines just to come home to N.C. and watch a criminal, bankrolled by my opponent, take away people's very right to vote. Today I withdraw my concession and call on Mark Harris to end his silence and tell us exactly what he knew, and when."
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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
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