Elections Mark Harris' son warned him about operative in North Carolina scandal

In emotional testimony Wednesday, the son of North Carolina Republican Mark Harris said he warned his father about the absentee ballot strategy used by Leslie McCrae Dowless, the political operative at the center of an election fraud scandal in the state's 9th Congressional District.

John Harris testified before the North Carolina State Board of Elections on Wednesday about allegations of election fraud. Though Mark Harris led Democrat Dan McCready by 905 votes in the unofficial ballot count on election night in November, the election board refused to certify a winner, pointing to accusations of fraud.


John Harris, an attorney, said he had been suspicious of Dowless' operation early on and shared his thoughts with his father and mother. His testimony appears to refute comments made by his father that he was never warned about Dowless, who has felony convictions of fraud and perjury.

After the elder Harris met with Dowless, his son sent him an email on April 7, 2017, that included text of the law on the illegality of collecting a person's absentee ballot.

"Good test is if you’re comfortable with the full process he uses being broadcast on the news," the younger Harris told his father in an email as the candidate contemplated hiring Dowless.

John Harris said he believed his father's mind was already made up despite the warning.

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He added that there's no reason for him to believe his father, mother or anyone else within his father's campaign knew what Dowless was doing.

"I raised red flags at the time the decision was made to hire Mr. Dowless," John Harris, whose testimony dominated the third day of the hearing, said.

"I love my dad, and I love my mom. I certainly have no vendetta against them, no family scores to settle," he said. "I think that they made mistakes in this process and they certainly did things differently than I would have done them."

After investigating the fraud allegations, the board began its evidentiary hearing this week. A state election board official kicked off the proceedings Monday by presenting evidence that implicated Dowless in an illegal absentee ballot collection scheme. State officials and individuals employed by Dowless testified that Dowless illegally paid people to collect and manipulate ballots.

Mark Harris is set to start the fourth day of testimony on Thursday. It is unclear whether the board would conclude its proceedings Thursday or stretch them into a fifth day. After the hearing, the board is expected to vote for a new election, certify a winner or reach an impasse.