North Carolina New Members 2019

Rep.-elect Mark Harris (R-N.C.-09)

DATE OF BIRTH: April 24, 1966
RESIDENCE: Charlotte, N.C.
OCCUPATION: Baptist minister
EDUCATION: B.S., Appalachian State University; M.Div., D.Min., Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary
FAMILY: Wife, Beth; three children

Baptist minister Mark Harris will be in Congress after pulling off a primary upset of three-term Rep. Robert Pittenger (R) and then besting his Democratic opponent, Dan McCready.

The primary was a rematch of 2016, when Harris first challenged Pittenger but fell short. This time, in a close race, Harris prevailed by 814 votes.

His district, previously rated safely Republican in 2012, was on Democrats’ list of targets after he upset Pittenger, but Harris held the seat for the GOP.

A Baptist minister with a degree in political science from Appalachian State University, Harris previously served as the senior pastor of the First Baptist Church of Charlotte and as president of the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina.

He left First Baptist Church to enter politics, running for Senate in 2014. Harris finished third in the GOP primary before first targeting Pittenger two years later.

Harris met his wife, Beth, while they were attending  college.