Pittenger loss puts NC House race in national spotlight

CHARLOTTE, NC — Tuesday's major upset in the US House District 9 congressional race will mean even more eyes on North Carolina this November.

Robert Pittenger is the first incumbent House member to lose in 2018 and Larry Sabato's Crystal Ball has changed the district's rating from "lean Republican" to "toss up."

It could even be the race that determines if Republicans or Democrats control the US House of Representatives.

Tuesday's win in the Republican primary by Mark Harris pits him against Democrat Dan McCready - a Marine Corps veterans who has 16 times more cash on hand as he does. But Harris says McCready can't escape his party label.

"As a Democrat in 2018, you can deny it and you can try to run from it as far as you can, but the platform of the Democratic party is run by Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi and you can only run so far," Harris said.

McCready is running as a Democrat in a district that voted for President Donald Trump by 12 points. But, he was previously unaffiliated, and says he won't support Nancy Pelosi as speaker. He says he wants to put country over party.

"North Carolinians deserve somebody who will fight for all of them, Republican, Democrat and Independent," Dan McCready said. "Mark Harris is somebody who has practiced the same old divisive politics that have made Washington the swamp that it is."

Blue enthusiasm is high. Ten thousand more people voted in the Democratic primary than Republicans. Political expert Eric Heberlig told Channel 9 he thinks national Republican groups will be hesitant to heavily invest in the race.

"This election result increases the likelihood that this district is going to have to survive on its own," he said.

Heberlig says the lack of an incumbent means Democrats will spend a lot to convince voters to flip the seat.

"That's going to increase the pressure on Republicans to say either we are going to spend a lot of money to save it or cut our losses," he said.

Harris says he's not worried. He pointed out the largest Democratic turnout was in Robeson county, Democrats he views as social conservatives who won't back his opponent. Harris says people who claim he is too socially conservative do not understand the values of the 9th District.

Since winning Tuesday night, Harris says he has been contacted by Speaker Paul Ryan, Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, Rep. Mark Meadows, and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, who endorsed his campaign.

Following McCready's victory, fellow Marine Corps veteran and Massachusetts Rep. Seth Moulton tweeted "proud of [Dan McCready] for taking one more step forward. Dan is a fellow Marine who answered the call to serve again after the 2016 election. He's the kind of leader our country needs."

Many experts are comparing McCready to Rep. Conor Lamb, another Marine Corps veteran, who earlier in 2018 won Pennsylvania's 18th Congressional District. President Donald Trump carried the district by 20 points in 2016.

The McCready campaign is feeling pretty good about their chances. An internal poll obtained by Channel 9 has him within the margin of error but up one point against Harris. Paired against Pittenger, he was down three.

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