NCGOP Issues Rare Fundraising Call for Mark Harris

RALEIGH – The North Carolina Republican Party doesn’t typically appeal to it’s large list of voters to request campaign funds for a specific candidate. Instead, the funds raised by the NCGOP as a whole are distributed toward races they prioritize, or the money is spent on behalf of the certain candidates.

However, with the 9th Congressional District still in limbo, and apparent winner Republican Mark Harris having just tried and failed to get a court to certify the election win, the NCGOP is making a rare appeal to donors to help fund Harris’ mounting legal costs. While Democratic opponent Dan McCready has already raised an extra $500,000 for a potential special election, Harris has not been in ‘campaign mode’ and has reportedly been funding his legal challenges largely out of his own pocket.

So the Republican Party is soliciting donations on Harris’ behalf.

From the NCGOP Executive Director Dallas Woodhouse:

“This is an important message. As policy, the NCGOP does not engage its list of donors and supporters to solicit donations to individual candidates and causes. We don’t do this because of the financial needs of the Party and sheer volume of candidates. 

Chairman Hayes has authorized a rare exception for our friend, Congressman-Elect Dr. Mark Harris. […]

Mark has had to use his own personal funds to engage lawyers to defend his election victory. The NCGOP and his lawyers have demanded that the State Board of Elections follow state law and certify the election if any irregularities shown would not affect the election’s outcome. The liberal news media are repeating over and over that a new election is required, but the public evidence to date does not show that, or much of anything. This will not change when the new State Board takes up the matter in February. 

I am asking you to help Mark fight by contributing to a legal defense fund recently set up for him. Any amount can help.[…]”

The message goes on to explain that the legal defense fund can accept individual donations up to $5,000. The party and the Harris campaign appear confident that there is not sufficient evidence of fraud to change the result of this election, but, on the other hand seem worried a majority Democrat State Board of Elections will continue the same partisan biases demonstrated by recent Board chairs. If they were to conclude the investigation by calling for a new election without expressly delineating how the alleged fraud affected the outcome of the general election, then Harris could be inclined to fight to defend his victory further in court. Hence, the need for a robust legal defense fund.

If you’d like to give to the fund, believing that the most egregious thing Harris has done is to be a Republican who narrowly won a close and important congressional race, you can do so by send a check to:

The Mark Harris Legal Defense Fund
c/o Nexsen Pruet, PLLC
Attn: Robert H. Hull, Jr.
Suite 1550
227 West Trade Street
Charlotte, N.C.  28202

Or you can make general donations to the Harris campaign here.