RALEIGH, N.C.  -- A judge has denied a petition to have the Executive Director of the North Carolina State Board of Elections certify results that would make Mark Harris the winner of the District 9 congressional election. 

• Prior report: Court to Hear 9th District Arguments Tuesday, Harris Won't Be in Attendance
• FULL DISTRICT 9 INVESTIGATION COVERAGE

Superior Court Judge Paul Ridgeway said Tuesday that he's unclear why Republican Mark Harris's lawyers insist he decide the winner when he doesn't know what investigators found.

Harris narrowly leads Democrat Dan McCready in the 9th District race. There are allegations that mail-in ballots could have been altered or discarded by a Harris subcontractor.

The state elections board was disbanded by an unrelated court order last month, and a new one takes over in nine days.

Harris's attorneys said the district's residents urgently need a representative in Washington, D.C. Since the court's decision, Harris has released the following statement:

Since this whole experience began with the State Board of Elections,  we have been committed to seeing the process followed and concluded. The hearing today in NC Superior Court was a place to turn when we found no place to turn but for their authority to grant a writ of mandamus.

While we continue to maintain a 905 vote lead and the role of Congressman-Elect for the 9th district of NC, the decision of the court today has extended the process even longer. While we have cooperated fully with the state’s investigation of alleged ballot irregularities, no evidence has been supplied that suggests the outcome of the race is in question. Nevertheless, by the decision today, we will continue to cooperate with the investigation and hope for a speedy resolution.

McCready took to Twitter offering his statement.