Former Gov. Pat McCrory said Monday morning he has been approached numerous times about running for the 9th Congressional District seat, but he has decided he doesn't have the "fire in the belly" for a Congressional bid.
McCrory, a Republican, made the announcement on his morning radio show on WBT-AM. He said he may run for governor in 2020 or for an open U.S. Senate seat in 2022.
The N.C. Board of Elections on Thursday voted 5-0 to hold a new election in the 9th District, after Republican Mark Harris asked the board for a new election.
The board was holding an evidentiary hearing on election fraud in the district. The probe centered around Bladen County political operative McCrae Dowless, who was working for the Harris campaign.
Harris and state Republicans had been adamant that the board should certify Harris as the winner. He had a 905-vote lead over Democrat Dan McCready.
But during the hearing, John Harris - Mark Harris's son - testified that he repeatedly warned his father not to hire Dowless for his 2018 Congressional bid. John Harris said he told his father in e-mails and in phone conversations that he believed Dowless was illegally harvesting absentee mail ballots.
That testimony ultimately led Mark Harris to call for a new election a day later.
Under a new law passed late last year, there will also be party primaries for the new election. The primaries will likely be in May. The general election will likely be held in October.
On his radio show, McCrory said he would support Mark Harris if he decides to run again.
