Raleigh, NC — North Carolina Republican Party Chairman Robin Hayes has released the following statement:
“The North Carolina Republican Party has encouraged the Mark Harris campaign to take immediate legal action in federal court to force the State of North Carolina to do what it is required to legally, constitutionally, and morally do: certify Dr. Mark Harris the winner of North Carolina’s 9th Congressional District election. The events of the last 24 hours make clear Mark Harris is the Congressman-Elect and should be seated in Congress on January 3, 2019.
“The North Carolina Democrat Party and losing candidate Democrat Dan McCready have run out of options in their quest to throw out 280,000 legal votes, the majority of which went for Dr. Harris. The court stopped this unending quest by Democrat partisans on the State Board to overrule the will of the voters.
“We are pleased that the ruling of the three-judge panel ruling mirrored the recent resolution passed by North Carolina Republicans demanding evidence of widespread voting issues that changed the outcome of the race or had a substantial likelihood of doing so, or in absence certify Dr. Harris the winner. The NCGOP demanded to see evidence beyond uncorroborated rumors to justify delaying the December 21st deadline originally set byState Board of Elections.
“The North Carolina Republican Party was affirmed by the court in this move.
“The three-judge panel clearly had the same concerns that we had, that the current NCSBE chair – who dismissed our absentee ballot complaints in 2016 and brought this investigation forward with no transparency – was making up the law as he went along.
“While the North Carolina Republican Party supported a full and complete investigation into alleged voting problems and even supported a new election under very specific circumstances, the continued delays in the hearing and the absence of a defined election protest made it clear that the Democrats had no interest in finding the truth, only finding a way to keep fishing for a way to overturn the election no matter how long it took.
“It is important to note that no serious evidence of some of the most concerning allegations including widespread destruction of ballots ever materialized. There is simply no concrete evidence to show that even the mishandling of some absentee ballots amounted to a change of more than a thousand votes in this race.
“This is not to say that there are not problems with absentee balloting in North Carolina, and a systematic failure to address these issues in parts of the state going back a decade. The North Carolina Republican Party continues to support the General Assembly’s call for an independent commission to investigate these long-standing issues that have plagued three governors’ administrations, multiple state and county boards of elections, and local, state, and federal prosecutors.
“We tried to be part of the solution to absentee ballot problems in Bladen County when we filed the complaint concerning the NC Democrat Party-funded Bladen County Improvement Association PAC. We were rebuffed by Democrat Board member Joshua Malcolm, who made the motion to dismiss the complaint despite credible allegations, further kicking the can down the road as the NC Democrat Party continues to distract from their corroboration with this group.
“We will continue to be a part of the solution to prevent election-related fraud in the coming elections. No person’s vote should be disenfranchised through fraud. I would like to echo the words of NCGOP Vice-Chairman Michele Nix and thank the Republican members of the State Board for their service under difficult circumstances. Unlike disgraced former Board Chairman Andy Penry and Joshua Malcolm, our members have served the Board fairly with dignity, honor, and integrity. Those members consider their work concluded as of noon today. They will not accept appointments to an unconstitutional, illegal sham Roy Cooper creation. The Party will make recommendations for the new Board as prescribed by H.B. 1029 when appropriate.
“I look forward to being in Washington, D.C. on January 3rd to see Mark take the oath of office.”
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