North Carolina Republican Says He May Support New Election

(Bloomberg) -- The North Carolina Republican whose narrow margin in a House race last month is being called into question because of fraud allegations said Friday he would “wholeheartedly” support a new election if an investigation finds the outcome was tainted.

The candidate, Mark Harris, holds a 905-vote lead in the North Carolina race, which hasn’t been certified by the state election board amid allegations that a consultant hired by his campaign destroyed or altered absentee ballots.

“I’m hopeful that this process will ultimately result in the certification of my election to Congress before the next House session begins,” Harris said in a video posted to Twitter. “However, if this investigation finds proof of illegal activity on either side to such a level that it could have changed the outcome of the election, then I would wholeheartedly support a new election to ensure all voters have confidence in the results.”

Dan McCready, his Democratic opponent, withdrew his concession this week, citing “criminal activity” in the race.

The state board of elections will meet again before Dec. 21 and could call for a new election if wrongdoing is found to cast doubt on the entire election, according to North Carolina statute. Democrats won control of the House of Representatives in Nov. 6 elections, and the ultimate outcome of this race could add another seat to the party’s majority.

To contact the reporter on this story: Anna Edgerton in Washington at aedgerton@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Kevin Whitelaw at kwhitelaw@bloomberg.net, Joe Sobczyk, Justin Blum

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