With the NC-03 Special US House Election called for the Republican, President Trump tweeted “One down, one to go…”, expressing his enthusiasm and optimism for NC-09, a key race.
With 99% of the vote in just after 10:18pm EST, Republican Dan Bishop is projected to win. He is ahead by over 4,100 votes (50.8-48.6%) over Democrat Dan McCready. Greg Murphy, the Republican in NC-03, handily beat Allen Thomas – the Democrat – 61.5%-37.7%.
Looks like it could be a twofer tonight for Republicans. But the news isn’t as good as it could, or should be. In 2016, the Republican House candidate won by more than 53,000 votes and 16+ percentage points, 58 to 41%.
The lamestream media will likely tout this as a sign of Trump’s coalition failing, with him losing ground in key suburbs. After all, Trump did win the NC-09 district by 12 percentage points in ’16. Winning by this close a margin in a strong republican district of course is troubling, but it’s a special election. Over 300,000 votes were cast in this district in 2016, down to half of that in this special.
Regardless of the margin of victory, there will most likely be two new Republican House members. Voices sorely needed there.
Why NC-09 Has a Special Election
The State Board of Elections in North Carolina ordered a new election to be held after ‘credible’ allegations of ballot fraud during the 2018 cycle.
After election officials called a new election, Harris quickly decided not to run again. McCready, who hasn’t stopped running, has been campaigning for 27 months. The 36-year-old businessman and Iraq War veteran is running on a moderate platform. His motto is “country over party,” and he has largely focused his campaign on his record of military service. The creator of a company that financed solar energy projects, he has also emphasized his environmental work and run on the healthcare affordability platform that brought many Democrats to victory in 2018.
Fortune.com
Republicans nominated North Carolina state Sen. Dan Bishop to run against McCready in May, defeating nine other candidates. Bishop is a conservative known for his role in passing the state’s “bathroom bill” that required transgender individuals to use the bathroom associated with the gender identity that appears on their birth certificate. Bishop has been endorsed by the NRA and has received support from President Trump, who stumped for the candidate on Monday.
**This post will be updated with election numbers as they are reported**
Editors Note: NC-09 has been for called for Republican Dan Bishop.
