Democrat Dan McCready said Tuesday he's raised over $1.6 million for his 9th Congressional District campaign. McCready is the only Democratic candidate running in the special election for the seat in a district that spans from south Charlotte to Lumberton.

A new election was forced after a state investigation found evidence of fraud and mishandling of absentee ballots in the November general election.

McCready said he ended the first quarter of 2019 with $1.46 million cash on hand — garnering donations that average around $41. He called the campaign an unmatched grassroots effort.

"This is just one more sign of the incredible energy and momentum we're seeing on the ground as we head into the special election," he said. "Let this be a warning to every politician who turned a blind eye to election fraud and corruption. We aren't just talking about taking our state back. We're doing it. This is just the beginning."

McCready outraised and outspent Republican challenger Mark Harris in the 2018 election — raising $6.6 million compared to Harris' $2.1 million. According to reporting by OpenSecrets.org, McCready is willing to aggressively spend money on the special election campaign. OpenSecrets says the Democrat spent more than $49,000 on targeted Facebook ads from the week of Feb. 17 to Feb. 23 alone.

McCready runs unopposed in the May Democratic primary. Ten Republicans are running in the primary to replace Harris, who opted not to run in the special election after the state investigation found evidence that a political operative working for him illegally collected absentee-by-mail ballots.

[View the full list of 9th District candidates here]

Primaries will be held May 14. If a second primary is not needed, the 9th District general election will be held Sept. 10. Should a second primary be called, the general election will be pushed to Nov. 5.

