Until very recently, the Deep South was solidly Democratic, with only scattered Republican beachheads. One such district is the 9th Congressional District of North Carolina, which is centered in and around Charlotte. This district for decades elected Republicans, although its Republicanism is (by today’s standards) the more moderate variety. Accordingly, Republicans have seen this district become more competitive over the years, and Democrats have from time to time seriously contested this seat.

When former Republican incumbent Robert Pittenger was defeated in the 2018 primary by pastor Mark Harris (in addition to ethical issues, he was labeled by Harris as being “part of the Washington swamp”), that defeat, combined with a strong Democratic nominee (ex-Marine and solar contractor Dan McCready) made this a race to watch, and it was closely contested. Even though Harris narrowly won, both his primary and general election victories were tainted by allegations of voter fraud, and the Board of Elections ordered a rerun of the race this September 10. McCready decided to run again on the Democratic side (and was unopposed in his primary), while Republicans chose state senator Dan Bishop, who was also known for his authorship of the “bathroom bill.”

JMC decided to poll this race now that both major parties have selected their nominees (both a Green and a Libertarian candidate are running in the special election as well), and the poll results can be found here.