Top Contenders for Potential 9th District Special Election

9TH DISTRICT – With calls for a new election in North Carolina’s 9th Congressional District getting louder as evidence of electoral fraud starts keeps getting uncovered, some of the focus has shifted to a potential short list of Republican candidates to run in that special election. Mark Harris is too tainted by now to be a viable option – so who else is there?

Long Leaf Politics made a list; you can check it twice:

U.S. Rep. Robert Pittenger
The current Congressman in this seat has to be the presumptive favorite on the Republican side. Pittenger lost the primary in May by only a few hundred votes in a race that’s also been called into question.

There’s no path toward a do-over of the primary, but a special election would be the next best thing from Pittenger’s perspective. As a sitting member of Congress, he has a built-in campaign infrastructure and the ability to raise a large amount of money quickly. He also would enter the race as a wronged party with some sympathy.

Kenny Smith
The former Charlotte city councilman raised a lot of money for his unsuccessful bid for mayor in 2017. Chances are he’d be able to raise even more for a U.S. House seat, and raise it in a hurry.

Smith has crossover appeal in the urban part of the district and conservative bona fides that would likely help him in Union County and beyond.

Those that round out the list get more interesting. Find them here.