Trump tweets ‘Total Endorsement’ of NC GOP House candidate

President Trump threw his support on Thursday behind the Republican House candidate in North Carolina’s 9th District, weighing in on one of the year’s closest-watched and most controversial congressional races.

The endorsement came two days after North Carolina state Sen. Dan Bishop, the architect of the state’s infamous “bathroom bill,” beat out a field of nine other contenders in the GOP primary to represent the 9th District.

“Congratulations to Dan Bishop on his big Republican Primary victory in the 9th Congressional District of North Carolina. Dan is strong on Crime, Loves our Military, Vets, 2A, and great Healthcare,” Trump tweeted. “He has my Complete and Total Endorsement!”

Congratulations to Dan Bishop on his big Republican Primary victory in the 9th Congressional District of North Carolina. Dan is strong on Crime, Loves our Military, Vets, 2A, and great Healthcare. He has my Complete and Total Endorsement! #MAGA

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 16, 2019

{mosads}Bishop was the favored candidate of the North Carolina Republican establishment and maintained a consistent lead in the polls ahead of the primary. He ultimately took the nomination on Tuesday with roughly 47 percent of the vote.

Bishop will face Democrat Dan McCready in the September general election.

North Carolina’s 9th District has gone unrepresented in Washington for months as a controversy over alleged fraud in the district’s 2018 election unfolded.

Republican Mark Harris, the previous GOP nominee in the district, initially led McCready by 905 votes in last year’s contest. But state regulators declined to certify Harris as the winner amid accusations that a contractor for his campaign orchestrated a sweeping absentee ballot fraud scheme.

State officials ordered a new election in the 9th District in February after a days-long hearing on the alleged scheme. Harris announced after that hearing that he would not run again in the district’s new election, teeing up a primary to replace him on the ballot.

McCready did not face a primary challenger.

North Carolina’s 9th District has been represented in the House by Republicans since 1963, and Trump won the district in 2016 by 11 points. But Democrats are optimistic about their chances to flip the 9th District in their favor, setting the stage for a hotly contested race.