Republican Mark Harris drops out of the new North Carolina election he backed

(Image credit: Chris Keane/Reuters)

published 26 February 2019

Republican Mark Harris will not run again in the new North Carolina congressional election.

Harris announced his decision on Tuesday, saying it's because of his "health situation." He said that his physicians have told him he requires surgery at the end of March and that he owes it to his family to "make the wisest decision for my health."

Harris was the Republican candidate for North Carolina's 9th District in 2018, but after his Democratic opponent, Dan McCready, conceded, the Harris campaign faced allegations of ballot tampering. The race was never officially certified, and a woman earlier this month told the North Carolina Board of Elections that she had falsified absentee ballots and was hired by a political operative working for Harris. Harris's son also testified that he warned his father not to hire this operative, who he previously suspected had launched a ballot fraud scheme.

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Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.

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