Mark Harris Not Running In New 9th District House Race

CHARLOTTE, NC — Republican Mark Harris will not continue his bid for North Carolina’s 9th Congressional District seat, he said Tuesday, citing health concerns. The candidate made his announcement less than a week after North Carolina State Board of Elections voted unanimously Thursday to order a new election to fill the seat after details of of ballot fraud prevented them from certifying results of the November vote.

“After consulting with my physicians, there are several things that my health situation requires as a result of the extremely serious condition that I faced in mid-January,” he said in a statement Tuesday, the Charlotte Observer reported. “One of those is a necessary surgery that is now scheduled for the last week in March. Given my health situation, the need to regain full strength, and the timing of this surgery the last week of March, I have decided not to file in the new election.”

For the past three years, Harris has campaigned for the seat, and after declaring victory in November, took the step of hiring a chief of staff and even selecting paint colors for his Congressional office, the newspaper said.

RELATED: In Stunning Move, Harris Calls For New Election For NC House Seat

Harris narrowly bested Democratic challenger Dan McCready for the House seat by 905 votes, however, allegations and evidence soon emerged indicating a political operative hired by Harris' campaign illegally manipulated the vote tally through absentee ballot fraud.

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Harris has long denied knowing about the scheme and last month sued to force election officials to certify the results, claiming there wasn't enough evidence that the ballot tampering swayed the final result. On Feb. 21, however, and after days of testimony in a board of elections hearing on the matter including that of his son refuting his claims, Harris abruptly called for a new election.

RELATED: Former Governor McCrory Says No To 9th District House Run

Election officials have not yet announced dates for the new special election, however a primary could be held in May and a general election could be held in October, the Charlotte Observer said.