N.C. Democrat back in race for House

RALEIGH, N.C. — Democrat Dan McCready said Friday that he’s running, again, for the country’s last vacant congressional seat now that North Carolina has ordered a new election.

McCready told supporters Friday at a brewery in Waxhaw, near Charlotte: “I am running in the special election to represent the people of the 9th District.”

McCready trailed Republican Mark Harris by a slim margin in the November general election. But on Thursday the state ordered a new election for the district after reviewing evidence of absentee ballot fraud by operatives working for Harris.

“Folks, there’s a lot of people that have had their confidence shaken in recent weeks because of the fraud conducted by Mark Harris’ campaign,” McCready told a gathering of several dozen supporters. “There’s a lot of people right now in North Carolina that are disillusioned in our electoral process.”

McCready has been assembling a new campaign staff and raising money to run again in the district that stretches from Charlotte through several counties to the east. His campaign-finance report showed McCready raised $487,000 during the final five weeks of 2018. His campaign sent out a fundraising plea late Thursday, citing the board’s decision.

The state elections board Thursday ordered a new election after Harris, in a surprising reversal, gave up his fight to be declared the winner. He said a new election was warranted after testimony during the week revealed serious public doubts about the contest’s fairness.

AP/RICHARD VOGEL A bundled-up street vendor at breakfast time waits for customers Friday in Los Angeles. Southern California remained cold after a storm produced a rare snowfall in the Los Angeles area.