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LUMBERTON, NC – Mark Harris' congressional campaign revealed Thursday night that she owed more than $ 34,000 for a mail-order and voter turnout that sparked fears of election fraud and questioned the narrow victory of the Republican of North Carolina. .
In a document filed with the Federal Election Commission, Mr. Harris's campaign reported a $ 34,310 obligation for the "reimbursement payment for absent Bladen voting agents voting in advance". "The disclosure form stated that the campaign owed money to Red Dome Group, the Charlotte area consulting firm that Mr. Harris hired for his campaign.
Red Dome, in turn, signed a contract with L. McCrae Dowless. Jr., a Bladen County policy officer accused of having collected mail ballots from electors as part of a potentially illegal attempt to tip the election back to the Republican candidate.
The post-election CEF The filing did not specifically specify how Red Dome spent the money, including how much money had been paid to Mr. Dowless or anyone he had recruited for his operation. According to witnesses, solicitors have collected ballots by correspondence in apparent violation of the law in force in the state. However, the line item indicated at least one indication of the aggressive political orientation of the Harris campaign in Bladen County, which has a population of approximately 33,000 and represents a fraction of the vast district of the ninth district.
This payment is likely to be of considerable interest. investigators, who this week assigned a subpoena to appear to a lawyer from Red Dome. The North Carolina authorities have not made the subpoena public, but the findings could be made public if the state election council and ethics hold a hearing on the elements of evidence on December 21st or before.
Preliminary returns to the House, which took place refuse to certify, show Mr. Harris with a 905-vote lead over his Democratic opponent, Dan McCready.
Red Dome did not respond to requests for comment. Mr. Harris' campaign denied wrongdoing and no one was apparently charged with a crime for the efforts Mr. Dowless had overseen this year.
The Harris campaign released its disclosure at the end of a tumultuous day during Mr. McCready then withdrew his concession to Mr. Harris, and Republican leaders began to speak publicly about the possibility of an election. new election, even as they expressed their confidence in Mr. Harris's integrity.
The executive director of the Republican Party of North Carolina, Dallas Woodhouse said in an interview Thursday that if the election committee "can declare that it is very likely that the race was changed, we would not oppose to a new election ".
North Carolina law allows for elections in the state. The board asks for a new vote if it finds that "irregularities or irregularities have occurred to such an extent that they alter the results of the entire election and call into question its equity ". [19659002Mêmelefaitdereconnaîtrequ'unenouvelleélectionpourraitêtreappropriéeétaitunchangementpourlesrépublicainsdeCarolineduNordquiavaientprécédemmentexigéqueleconseildel'ÉtatcertifieimmédiatementMHarriscommevainqueurMaisMHarrisetlesrépublicainsfontmaintenantfaceàunepressioncroissantesurlerésultatetl'équitédesélectionsetcertainsrépublicainsontdéclarés'inquiéterdelavaliditédelapremièrevictoiredeMHarrissurlereprésentantRobertMPittenger
Political risks because Mr. Harris extends beyond North Carolina. On Thursday in Washington, congressional Democrats, including Representative Nancy Pelosi, who is expected to be elected Speaker of the House in the House next month, warned that they could not sit in the place of Mr. Harris if the electoral conflict remained unresolved.
the right to decide who sits, "said Ms. Pelosi in a reference to the constitutional power of the chamber to be" the judge of elections, returns and qualifications of its own members. "
The process for a new election would depend on Gerry Cohen, former special advisor to the North Carolina General Assembly, said the decision of the binding government body,
If the House refused to sit on M Harris and declared vacant the seat of the ninth district, the move would trigger a fresh election: another period of filing, another primary and possibly another general election.But said Mr. Cohen, a decision of the council of 'State providing for a new vote would only lead to a' resumption 'of the general election in November .. Mr Harris would be the Republican candidate unless he dies or leaves the state. [19659002] "He could move to Rock Hill, S.C.," thought Mr. Cohen, "or in a country without an extradition treaty."
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