NORTH CAROLINA -- A new report in The Washington Post is continuing to highlight the controversy surrounding North Carolina's 9th Congressional District election and the alleged election fraud with Mark Harris' campaign. 

The report says that Mark Harris, the Republican who won the race, hired Leslie McCrae Dowless after Dowless "helped one of Harris’s opponents win an overwhelming share of the mail-in vote in a key county" -- despite being warned of Dowless' "questionable tactics to deliver votes." Harris was up 905 votes ahead of his Democratic opponent, Dan McCready. Since the election fraud claims have come to light, McCready has since withdrawn his concession. 

Jeff Smith, a former associate of Dowless says that Dowless would talk about speaking to Harris about a mail-in absentee-ballot program during the 2018 primary. In that primary, Harris defeated incumbent Robert Pittenger, and overwhelmingly won in mail-in absentee votes 437-17. This margin is very similar to that of Todd Johnson, the last-place finisher in the 2016 9th District primary race who utilized Dowless' services. Despite coming in last, he received almost all of the mail-in votes.   

The Washington Post's report also talks about how party leaders have started to back away from Harris, with North Carolina's state legislature passing a bill that would require a new primary if a new 9th District election is ordered.

The report can be read in full at The Washington Post