Dorian's impact felt in North Carolina special elections
(CNN) - Hurricane Dorian battered the North Carolina coast last week, bringing heavy rain, high winds and destructive tornadoes. The storm threatened turnout in two special elections taking place on Tuesday, but state election officials have been working to ensure that voters can reach the polls. "Voting will take place despite the challenges the hurricane presented," Karen Brinson Bell, the North Carolina State Board of Elections executive director, said in a video released Monday. Additionally, election officials extended the date by which absentee ballots can be received by 3rd Congressional District counties, as long as the ballots were postmarked by Tuesday. After the North Carolina election board voted to re-run the race, Harris took himself out of the running, leaving Republican voters to nominate Bishop.
What to watch in Tuesday's North Carolina special elections
State investigators' long inquest drew national attention and, after a dramatic February finale, the North Carolina election board voted to re-run the race. In addition to the Bishop-McCready race, voters in the state's 3rd Congressional District will likely be choosing between Republican state Rep. Greg Murphy and Democratic former Greenville Mayor Allen Thomas. Here's what to watch for in North Carolina. Trump has leaned on that message in the run-up to the election, tweeting in August that McCready "likes the 'Squad' more than North Carolina." The Republicans, especially Trump, will take a pair of victories in North Carolina and -- if history is any guide -- celebrate them as a crushing defeat for Democrats.