CHARLOTTE – Former Congresswoman Sue Myrick, a Republican who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1995 until 2013, has endorsed Dr. Mark Harris for the upcoming Republican primary election in May 2018.
The endorsement came months before the election that will, for the second time, pit Dr. Mark Harris against incumbent Congressman Robert Pittenger, who has held the seat in the House since 2013.
Myrick, who elected not to seek another term in the 2012 election, was succeeded by Pittenger, who in 2013 won handedly over his Democratic and Libertarian opponent with 54 percent of the vote.
In her letter that was forwarded in a mass email to Harris supporters and media outlets, Myrick stated the following:
“I am writing to you today to encourage you to support my dear friend, Mark Harris. As many of you already know, Mark has resigned from the position he has held for over 12 years as Senior Pastor of his church to run for a seat that I once held, the Ninth Congressional District of North Carolina.
I spent several years of my life in public service as a former Charlotte City Council at Large representative the first female Mayor of Charlotte and as the first Republican woman to represent North Carolina in the House of Representatives. For 18 years, you put your trust in me to represent you in Congress. I have always been very grateful and humbled by that support.
Mark has a passion for serving and giving a voice to the people who are not heard. I admire that quality, and think it is an essential characteristic to have when serving in public office. He was on the front lines of the marriage amendment battle. He is a staunch pro-life advocate and helped lead the charge against the ridiculous transgender bathroom ordinance proposed by the City of Charlotte.
Of course, as a pastor, you would expect him to be on the right side of social issues. What you may not know is that Mark is a strong free market conservative. He will fight for tax reform and fewer government regulations. Mark understands that the economy does better when the government allows the private sector to grow.
As a senior pastor, Mark knows what it’s like to face tough budget decisions and make choices that will impact people’s lives. He knows what it’s like to have to live and operate within a budget. Considering that our country recently exceeded $20 trillion in debt, this is a much-needed trait in Washington, D.C.
In 2016, we elected a president, Donald J. Trump, who committed to “drain the swamp” in Washington. He called for an end to the “politics as usual” in D.C. The American people recognized that we simply couldn’t continue to elect the same people and expect different results. Our president is doing his part. It is time for us to do ours.”
Harris challenged Pittenger for the first time in 2016, losing by only 134 votes in what proved to be a tight primary race. Pittenger went on to defeat Democrat Christian Cano by over 54,000 votes in the November 8 general election.
