{"biography":"Mark Everette Harris is the incumbent Republican U.S. Representative for North Carolina\u2019s 8th Congressional District, seeking a second term in the 2026 general election on November 3, 2026.  Members of the U.S. House must be at least 25 years old, have been a U.S. citizen for seven years, and reside in the state they represent, duties Harris fulfills as a resident of Monroe, NC, and a longtime North Carolina citizen [1][12].\n\nBorn on April 24, 1966, in Winston\u2011Salem, North Carolina, Harris graduated from R.J. Reynolds High School before earning a B.A. in political science from Appalachian State University in 1987.  He later received a Master of Divinity and a Doctor of Ministry in Christian Leadership from the Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary [12][14].\n\nHarris\u2019s professional life has been rooted in ministry.  He served as senior pastor of Curtis Baptist Church in Augusta, Georgia (2000-2005), then led First Baptist Church in Charlotte, before becoming lead pastor at Trinity Baptist Church in Mooresville, North Carolina, a position he has held since February 2020 [12].  He also served as president of the North Carolina Baptist Convention (2011\u20112013) and sat on the board of the Biblical Recorder and as a trustee of his seminary alma mater [12][14].\n\nHis political career began with a 2014 run for the U.S. Senate, where he placed third in the Republican primary.  He pursued a seat in the U.S. House from the 9th District in 2016 and 2018, winning the 2018 Republican primary and initially appearing to win the general election before the race was invalidated due to ballot\u2011fraud allegations involving a campaign operative; Harris himself was never charged [12][19].  After the 9th\u2011District seat was reassigned, Harris announced a bid for the newly drawn 8th District in 2024, won a crowded Republican primary, and defeated Democrat Justin Dues in the November 2024 general election, becoming the district\u2019s representative on January 3, 2025 [1][12][19][20].\n\nIn Congress, Harris serves on the Agriculture Committee (including subcommittees on Nutrition, Foreign Agriculture, Livestock, Dairy, Poultry, and Risk Management) and the Judiciary Committee (Administrative State, Regulatory Reform, Antitrust; Constitution and Limited Government) as well as the Education and Workforce Committee.  He has been endorsed by former President Donald Trump and the House Freedom Caucus, and he emphasizes pro\u2011family values, strong national defense, border security, and local control of education [1][19].\n\nHarris\u2019s 2026 campaign is being run through the \u201cMark Harris for Congress\u201d committee, which reported $749,385 in receipts and $457,380 in expenditures for the 2024\u201125 cycle, reflecting a well\u2011funded operation for a district that leans heavily Republican [11].  He continues to promote constituent services through his Washington and Monroe offices, offering assistance with federal agencies and community outreach [18].\n\n## Sources\n- [1] [Mark Harris (North Carolina) - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Mark_Harris_(North_Carolina))\n- [7] [North Carolina's 8th Congressional District - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/North_Carolina's_8th_Congressional_District)\n- [8] [Congressman Mark Harris | Representing North Carolina's 8th District](https://markharris.house.gov/)\n- [11] [HARRIS, MARK E - Candidate overview - FEC.gov](https://www.fec.gov/data/candidate/H4NC08066/)\n- [12] [Mark Harris (North Carolina politician) - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Harris_(North_Carolina_politician))\n- [14] [About](https://markharrisforcongress.org/about1)\n- [16] [Mark Harris | BallotReady](https://www.ballotready.org/people/mark-harris-198a4720-b9db-4d49-a482-4886b408b522)\n- [17] [Rep. Mark Harris - R North Carolina, 8th, In Office - Biography | LegiStorm](https://www.legistorm.com/person/bio/307624/Mark_Everette_Harris.html)\n- [18] [US Representative Mark Harris | BillTrack50](https://www.billtrack50.com/legislatordetail/29637)\n- [19] [Mark Harris, once accused of election fraud, wins North Carolina House primary - POLITICO](https://www.politico.com/news/2024/03/06/north-carolina-mark-harris-dan-bishop-election-fraud-00145421)\n- [20] [AP Race Call: Republican Mark Harris wins election to U.S. House in North Carolina's 8th Congressional District | AP News](https://apnews.com/article/race-call-harris-wins-north-carolina-u-s-house-district-98fc5f6424f445bbad758dccc48abdb1)","campaigns":[{"contest":"us_house_008","county":"anson","county_count":14,"electiondate":"Tue, 03 Nov 2026 00:00:00 GMT","pgr":"general","state":"NC","title":"Us House Of Representatives District 08"}],"cf_filings":[],"firstname":"Mark","fullname":"Mark Everette Harris","lastname":"Harris","middlename":"Everette","office_history":[{"campaigns":[{"contest":"us_house_008","contest_title":"Us House Of Representatives District 08","county":"anson","county_count":14,"electiondate":"2026-11-03","office_county":null,"office_key":"us_house","office_title":"U.S. Representative","party":"REP","pgr":"general","state":"NC"}],"county":null,"cycles":[{"general":{"contest":"us_house_008","contest_title":"Us House Of Representatives District 08","county":"anson","county_count":14,"electiondate":"2026-11-03","office_county":null,"office_key":"us_house","office_title":"U.S. Representative","party":"REP","pgr":"general","state":"NC"},"party":"REP","primary":null,"term":null,"year":2026}],"office_key":"us_house","office_title":"U.S. Representative","state":"NC","terms":[]}],"summary":"Mark Everette Harris, Republican U.S. Representative for NC\u20118, is running for re\u2011election in 2026.","terms":[],"token":"92759f5b89da69b0"}