The winner in Rep Patrick McHenry’s retirement? It might be NC House Speaker Tim Moore

Republican U.S. Rep. Patrick McHenry’s announcement Tuesday that he’s not seeking reelection quickly produced ripple effects across races on the 2024 ballot.

One potential winner: N.C. House Speaker Tim Moore, whose toughest GOP competitor says he’ll now run in McHenry’s soon-to-be vacated district. That candidate, Pat Harrigan, a veteran and gun manufacturer, announced he’s hired McHenry’s former campaign manager, Eduardo Andrade, in a bid for the 10th Congressional District.

Harrigan’s campaign put out a video immediately following McHenry’s announcement making the switch.

“With Congressman McHenry’s retirement, I’m running for Congress in North Carolina’s 10th District,” Harrigan said. “God has placed a calling in our lives to enter the political arena, to work to improve the character and quality of our government and to craft better outcomes for the next generations of Americans.”

Harrigan’s wife, Raquel, appears in the video saying that, while her husband has run for office in the Charlotte area, they’ve continued to live in Hickory, their children attend school there and they worship at Hickory Bible Church. Harrigan faced questions during the 2022 election about whether he would live in the Charlotte area’s 14th District if elected.

The 14th Congressional District currently includes all of Burke, Cleveland, Gaston, Rutherford and parts of Mecklenburg and Polk counties. The 10th Congressional District includes Lincoln, Catawba, Iredell and Yadkin counties and part of Forsyth County.

Harrigan unsuccessfully ran for the District 14 seat in 2022. He lost to Democrat Jeff Jackson, who decided not to seek reelection after Republicans redrew his district to favor a candidate from their own party.

Many believe it to be hand-drawn for Moore, who was preparing for a contentious primary battle.

Harrigan announced early on he would seek the 14th District’s GOP nomination. As soon as Moore got into the race, he made sure voters knew Moore had had a series of controversies in recent months, including being sued for having a sexual relationship he had with a married state employee and being involved in an attempt to legalize casinos in North Carolina.

Harrigan’s first news release about Moore was titled, “Pat Harrigan welcomes Casino Activist, Tim Moore to the Race.”

“Let’s be clear: Tim Moore carries a legacy of corruption, from being bought and paid for by the casino and gambling bosses, to taxpayer-funded sexual escapades,” Harrigan said in a news release. “Such a man does not represent NC14’s values, nor does he deserve its trust.”

Harrigan’s departure from the race leaves Moore with only one other primary opponent, thus far, and make him the likely front-runner.

Moore ally considering 10th District run

But a close ally of Moore’s, state Rep. Jason Saine, a Republican from Lincoln County, said Tuesday afternoon he is also considering getting in the the race to succeed McHenry.

“I’d be foolish not to consider it,” Saine said, adding that he has to weigh whether it’s the right move for him personally. Saine already filed for reelection for his state House seat, but has a few days left that he can switch.

The filing period for the 2024 election in North Carolina ends on Dec. 15. The primary is scheduled for March 5.

What remains unclear Tuesday is whether litigation filed a day earlier challenging the state’s congressional districts might halt congressional candidate filing or change the map entirely. The 14th Congressional District is among four districts that plaintiffs are challenging as being unconstitutional.