ROBBINS, N.C. – U.S. Senate candidate Mark Harris says he can unite the three streams of Republicans in North Carolina – business, tea party and social conservatives – and win the GOP nomination to face Democratic incumbent Sen. Kay Hagan.
The Charlotte pastor calls himself the “bridge candidate,” but he’ll need the votes of like-minded Christians if he hopes to win the primary. Harris has a connection to them as the former Baptist State Convention president and spokesman for the group that rallied voters to pass a state constitutional amendment banning gay marriage in 2012.
His chief rivals are House Speaker Thom Tillis and obstetrician Greg Brannon. Harris says he’s got business experience because he’s managed multimillion dollar church budgets. He also expresses admiration for tea party favorite Sen. Ted Cruz.
