CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Just minutes after North Carolina polls opened, Republican candidate Mark Harris was in line to cast his vote.
Harris, who is facing Democrat Dan McCready in the tightly contested race for North Carolina's 9th Congressional District seat in the House of Representatives, spent time greeting voters outside Elizabeth Lane Elementary School in south Charlotte.
Harris praised North Carolinians' willingness to wake up early to make sure they made their voice heard in Tuesday's midterms.
"We're just excited about today, we've seen incredible early voter turnouts, records were shattered in some counties, particularly in Union County and it's just been great," Harris told NBC Charlotte.
McCready said he'd spend the day talking with voters of all parties in an attempt to have them "put country before party." He recalled the diversity of his platoon while serving in the U.S. Marine Corps.
"In my platoon, we have 65 Marines," McCready said. "We came from all over this country. We never cared about where you came from, we never cared about who your parents were, and we never cared about the color of your skin. We didn't even care if you were Republican or Democrat.
"We're all on the same team. That's what I think this country is all about and that's what I think they've forgotten up in Washington."
McCready is seeking to turn the historically conservative seat, which has been held by Republicans for decades, blue in the battle for power in Congress.
With support from the White House, including a rally held by President Trump in Charlotte late last month, Harris said he's feeling good about being elected.
"We're feeling cautiously optimistic," Harris said. "I do feel like that the early voting numbers were as more or more than we could've hoped for."
Harris said his campaign workers have had an eye on the forecast. The Charlotte area could see severe weather between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. First Warn forecaster Larry Sprinkle said damaging winds will be the biggest threat to the region. When the polls opened, it didn't seem like a bleak forecast was keeping voters away, although experts say bad weather typically keeps low-income and less-informed voters away from the polls.
Polls in North Carolina will be open until 7:30 p.m. Anyone in line as of 7:30 p.m. will be allowed to vote in Tuesday's elections. Click here for a complete list of races and amendments on the North Carolina ballot.
