Mark Harris threw in the towel, admitted he had been warned about McCrae Dowless, and called for a new election, the Election Board agreed in a unanimous vote to do just that.
While on the witness stand Thursday, Harris admitted, “It’s become clear to me that the public’s confidence in the Ninth District’s general election has been undermined to an extent that a new election is warranted.”
This admission followed his son's testimony that he had warned his father about McCrae Dowless' illegal conduct, and tried to keep him from using Dowless' assistance. Just before he admitted there should be a new election, Harris admitted that some of his testimony had been "incorrect."
Hopefully the testimony about his lawyer son being "arrogant" and a "few other things" was part of that incorrect testimony, given that his son is an assistant United States Attorney who has a vested interest in the rule of law and a sworn duty as an officer of the court.
Harris, on the other hand, is an evangelical pastor for whom abortion is a greater sin than lying or stealing. He really should review those 10 commandments.
The question now is whether Harris, who claims he has serious health problems and has suffered several strokes in recent months, will be the candidate in the new election. According to the Charlotte Observer, the same three candidates who were on the ballot in November will be on the ballot again in this new election. With Harris' health issues, it's hard to imagine him running a vigorous campaign, and he won't have a cheater to fill out absentee ballots anymore either.
