Dan McCready withdrew his concession in the race last week following the board’s decision, which cited absentee ballot irregularities in a key county in the district. | AP Photo/Chuck Burton, File Elections North Carolina Democrat preparing for special election in contested congressional race

The Democrat in a North Carolina congressional race marred by accusations of election fraud said Monday that his team is already preparing for the possibility of a special election that would supersede the allegedly tainted contest held last month.

“We're gearing up right now in case we do have a special election. This is in the hands of the North Carolina State Board of Elections that’s launched an investigation,” Dan McCready said in an interview on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.”


Last week, the North Carolina board of elections voted unanimously against certifying the results of November’s midterm election in the 9th Congressional District, which showed McCready losing by around 900 votes to his Republican opponent, Mark Harris.

McCready withdrew his concession in the race last week following the board’s decision, which cited absentee ballot irregularities in a key county in the district.

The focus of the board’s investigation is a subcontractor named Leslie McCrae Dowless, a Harris campaign employee contracted out by a firm advising the Harris campaign, who is accused of illegally collecting absentee ballots from voters and altering or potentially destroying those ballots.

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Harris and his campaign have maintained that they knew of no illegal activity, though Dowless has reportedly had a reputation for shady absentee ballot work in the district. On Friday, Harris put out a video on social media that said he would “wholeheartedly” welcome a new election in the district if the board’s investigation uncovers proof of fraud.

McCready has ripped into Harris over the past week and implored him to come forward with what his campaign knew about Dowless, referring to reports that Rep. Robert Pittenger (R-N.C.), the incumbent Harris beat in the GOP primary, knew enough about Dowless not to hire him and alleging that "this goes to the top of Mark Harris' campaign."