On November 27, 2018, the N.C. Board of Elections voted 9-0 against certifying Mark Harris for the U.S. House of Representatives, based on accusations of election fraud imposed against him after the election on November 5, 2018.  After thorough consideration of the evidence and presentations of numerous testimonies against Harris, the N.C. Board of Elections voted unanimously, on February 21, to host a new election. The primary was set to be held on May 14, 2019, with the general election following it on September 10.  With the announcement by the state board of a new election, this became the second congressional special election to be held in 2019. Bishop ended up winning the election with 50.7% of the popular vote as opposed to McCready’s 48.7%.

The filing period for the candidates ended on March 15. A total of thirteen candidates qualified for the primary: ten Republicans, one Democrat, one Libertarian, and one Green. Dan McCready, the Democratic nominee in the 2018 election, ran again and faced no Democratic opposition. Dan Bishop, the Republican nominee‒best known for his opposition to LGBT rights‒also ran, facing no opposition from within his own party.  The final two candidates were Jeff Scott, the Libertarian nominee, and Allen Smith, the perennial candidate from the Green Party.  

Throughout the campaign, the race between McCready and Bishop ran very close.  Both parties spent heavily on the election, shelling out at least $13.8 million combined.  Organizations such as the National Republican Congressional poured almost $3.1 million into anti-McCready attacks, making them the top spender in the race.  Meanwhile, on the Democratic side, the DCCC was the top supporter for McCready, with $1.2 million spent on anti-Bishop ads. Outside groups have spent $6.8 million helping Bishop and $3.9 million boosting McCready.  

On the night of September 10, the election results piled in. It was announced that Republican Dan Bishop had beat Dan McCready in the tight 2019 N.C. Special Election, by just 2% of the popular vote.  According to Washington Post, Bishop announced his win as the “first step towards taking back the House of Representatives in 2020”.

With President Trump and Vice President Mike Pence backing Bishop from the beginning, this win was considered a great victory for the Republican Party and Bishop’s pro-gun, pro-life and pro-wall agenda. In the coming years, he announced that he hopes to implement positive changes.