Democrat Dan McCready is joined by 10 Republicans and one member each from the Green and Libertarian parties in seeking the U.S. House seat for District 9 of North Carolina.
The five-day filing period closed Friday for the race that will send the final member of Congress into place later this year. The 9th congressional district was not verified following last fall’s election, and the state Board of Elections held a four-day evidentiary hearing into allegations of fraud in Bladen and Robeson counties.
At the conclusion, the board called for a new election. It also deemed a new election necessary for two races in Bladen County.
McCready appeared to lose the general election to the Rev. Mark Harris, a Republican and Baptist preacher, by 905 votes. Harris had defeated incumbent Rep. Robert Pittenger in the primary.
Five people have been indicted and charged in the ballot harvesting scheme prosecutors say Bladenboro’s McCrae Dowless masterminded. The two-time convicted felon was hired by Harris’ campaign, despite warnings over two years from the preacher’s son John.
The 10 Republicans will battle in a May 14 primary.
The general election follows on Sept. 10, unless a second primary is needed. If so, the general election would be Nov. 5.
McCready is the lone Democrat, Allen Smith represents the Green Party and Jeff Scott is the Libertarian candidate. All are from Charlotte.
The Republican lineup includes Stevie Rivenbark Hull of Fuquay-Varina, Matthew Ridenhour of Charlotte, Stony Rushing of Wingate, Fern Shubert of Marshville, Albert Lee Wiley Jr. of Salter Path, Chris Anglin of Raleigh, Dan Bishop of Charlotte, Leigh Thomas Brown of Harrisburg, Kathie C. Day of Cornelius and Gary Dunn of Matthews.
Bishop is a state senator and best known as architect of the controversial “bathroom bill.” Anglin was a registered Democrat before entering last year’s race for a state Supreme Court seat as a Republican, a move that split the GOP vote in a race won by a Democrat. Rushing has been endorsed by Harris.
The state board chose the order of candidates as they will appear on the ballot by random drawing, pulling “F” from a glass bowl with all letters printed on cards, and using a coin flip to determine alphabetical order.
The seat represents counties stretching along the South Carolina border from Charlotte in the west to Lumberton and Fayetteville in the east. The northern part of Bladen County is in the district, as is the southern part of Cumberland County. An eastern side of Mecklenburg County forms the western-most border.
The district has been in Republican hands since 1963. President Donald Trump prevailed in the district by 12 percentage points in 2016.