Pittenger loses GOP primary fight

Pastor Mark Harris has upset Rep. Robert Pittenger (R-N.C.) in his Tuesday primary, toppling the incumbent congressman after nearly defeating him in a primary two years ago.

Pittenger conceded the race late Tuesday night, telling his supporters he had called Harris.

The victory sets Harris up for a tough general election fight that could draw outsized attention.

Harris mounted one of the toughest primary challenges to any incumbent congressman against Pittenger in 2016, when he fell just short of beating him. But this time, Harris was able to clear the bar after blasting Pittenger for departing from conservative orthodoxy on issues like the national debt and attacking Pittenger as a stalwart supporter of GOP leadership.

Pittenger had sought to push back by highlighting a voting record he described as in sync with Trump’s agenda and wooing prominent Republicans into the state to lend a hand with fundraising.