Dan McCready

Daniel Kent McCready (born July 18, 1983) is an American veteran, entrepreneur, civil rights activist, and former political candidate from Charlotte, North Carolina. He served in the United States Marine Corps, achieving the rank of captain.

Dan McCready
Personal details
Born
Daniel Kent McCready

(1983-07-18) July 18, 1983
Charlotte, North Carolina, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse(s)Laura
Children4
EducationDuke University (BA)
Harvard University (MBA)
Military service
Allegiance United States
Branch/service United States Marine Corps
Years of service2005–2009
RankCaptain
Battles/warsIraq War

McCready was the Democratic Party nominee for the United States House of Representatives from North Carolina's 9th congressional district in the 2018 election. Initially it appeared that Republican Mark Harris won narrowly. The bipartisan state election board completed an investigation into allegations of ballot fraud by Republican operatives and declined to certify the election and called for a special election to fill the seat. McCready lost the special election to Dan Bishop on September 10, 2019.

Early life and education

McCready is from Charlotte, North Carolina, and graduated from Myers Park High School in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools system. He earned a bachelor's degree in economics from Duke University in 2005.[1] He then served as a captain in the United States Marine Corps and was deployed to Iraq in 2007 and 2008, where he led two platoons.[2][3] Following his military service, he returned to university for graduate work, earning a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Harvard Business School.[4][5]

Career

After earning his MBA in 2011, McCready worked for a year as a management consultant for McKinsey & Company.[6] He left the company in 2013 to cofound Double Time Capital, a solar-focused clean energy fund, with partner Rye Barcott.[7][8] As of February 2017, "Double Time has financed 36 solar energy projects, which collectively produce roughly 10% of North Carolina's solar power and power around 30,000 homes in the state."[9] At that time, North Carolina was the second ranked state in the United States based on the cumulative amount of solar electric capacity installed.[10]

In 2014, McCready founded This Land, an online store for American crafts that highlighted the work of skilled craftspeople from economically depressed areas who otherwise do not have the means to market their products to broad audiences.[11][12] In 2017, McCready announced that he would be closing the site in order to focus on his campaign for US House of Representatives.[13]

2018 U.S. House of Representatives election

In May 2017, McCready announced his candidacy for the United States House of Representatives in North Carolina's 9th congressional district.[14] On May 8, 2018, McCready easily won the Democratic Party primary election[15] while former pastor Mark Harris unseated incumbent representative Robert Pittenger in the Republican primary.[16] The New York Times described the race between Harris and McCready as a "top-tier contest".[17] A CBS News story called the race "one of the most competitive".[18] On election day, unofficial vote tallies showed Harris defeating McCready by 905 votes, but on November 27, 2018, the North Carolina State Board of Elections and Ethics Reform declined to certify the election results, citing voting irregularities involving absentee ballots in the eastern part of the district.[19][20] The irregularities became the subject of a criminal investigation into an alleged ballot harvesting scheme to elect the Republican Harris. It was orchestrated by Republican political operative McCrae Dowless in Bladen and Robeson Counties.[21]

The Associated Press subsequently retracted calling the race, pending the ultimate decision of the state board of elections. On November 30, the election board of the district decided to hear evidence about "claims of numerous irregularities and concerted fraudulent activities" at a meeting to be held by December 21, which was subsequently delayed to January 10, 2019, after the new Congress was scheduled to be seated.[22][23][24] McCready withdrew his earlier submitted concession on December 6.[25] In February 2019, the bipartisan election board unanimously determined they would not certify the results because of ballot fraud by Republican operatives. They called for a special election to be held. The state legislature passed a law requiring new party primaries.

2019 U.S. House of Representatives special election

The election board called a special election to be held for this congressional seat.[26] A newly passed law by the North Carolina General Assembly requires such a do-over to include the holding of new preceding primaries for the parties.[27][28][29] McCready filed to run in the special election.[30] McCready's major party opposition was Republican State Senator Dan Bishop. The election was held on September 10.[31]

During the election, President Donald Trump claimed that McCready "wants to take away your guns", "raise your taxes", "likes open borders", and "really admires socialism."[32] CNN described Trump's claims as comprehensively inaccurate, as McCready advocates for tax cuts for the middle class, does not advocate for taking guns away, and supports physical barriers on the border.[32]

On September 10, 2019, Bishop won the 2019 special election to Congress with 50.7% of the vote to McCready's 48.7%.[33]

Personal life

Dan is the husband of Laura Thornhill McCready, a children's attorney.[34] They met while students at Duke on a backpacking trip. They have four children.[35]

References

  1. "Thirteen Duke alumni seek seats in Congress this year". The Chronicle. Retrieved August 1, 2018.
  2. "A Democrat who talks like a Republican could steal a major NC race from the GOP". mcclatchydc. Retrieved August 1, 2018.
  3. Blatten, Taylor. "In Pittenger-McCready race, who would dish out the stress?". The Charlotte Observer.
  4. "Paving the Way for Veterans to Serve in Congress - Alumni - Harvard Business School". www.alumni.hbs.edu. Retrieved August 1, 2018.
  5. "Renounce Nancy Pelosi, Ignore Donald Trump — and Win?". The New York Times. May 12, 2018. Retrieved July 31, 2018.
  6. Mildenberg, David (March 30, 2018). "Solar investing, war experience spur McCready's political career". Business North Carolina. Business North Carolina. Retrieved December 27, 2018.
  7. QUITTNER, JEREMY. "These Marines Beat the Odds to Build a Solar Energy Fund". Fortune. Time Inc.
  8. "Company Overview of Double Time Capital, LLC". Bloomberg.com. Retrieved August 1, 2018.
  9. Quittner, Jeremy. "These Marines Beat the Odds to Build a Solar Energy Fund". Fortune.com. Retrieved April 16, 2018.
  10. "North Carolina Solar". SEIA.org. Retrieved April 16, 2018.
  11. Bonvissuto, Dominic (July 2, 2014). "A Marine Still Fighting". Jeans & Ties. The OHearn Group. Retrieved December 27, 2018.
  12. O'Daniel, Adam (July 2, 2014). "Made in the USA: Charlotte-based ThisLand.com celebrates American craftsmen". Charlotte Business Journal. American City Business Journals. Retrieved December 27, 2018.
  13. McCready, Dan. "Dear This Land Community".
  14. Pathé, Simone (May 24, 2017). "Pittenger Draws Democratic Challenger in North Carolina". Roll Call. FiscalNote. Retrieved December 27, 2018.
  15. "Dan McCready on winning Democratic Primary". Retrieved August 1, 2018.
  16. Morrill, Jim (May 8, 2018). "Challenger Mark Harris stuns U.S. Rep. Pittenger of NC in GOP primary upset". Charlotte Observer. Charlotte, N.C. Retrieved May 12, 2018.
  17. "We polled voters in North Carolina's 9th Congressional District". The New York Times. Retrieved October 23, 2018.
  18. Segers, Grace (October 19, 2018). "North Carolina congressional race could be key in battle for the House". CBS News. Retrieved October 24, 2018.
  19. Morrill, Jim (November 29, 2018). "'Tangled web' in Bladen County has questions swirling about votes in the 9th District". The Charlotte Observer. Charlotte, North Carolina. Retrieved November 30, 2018.
  20. Gardner, Amy; Ross, Kirk (November 29, 2018). "Certification in limbo in N.C. House race as fraud investigation continues". The Washington Post. Washington, D.C. Retrieved November 30, 2018.
  21. Durkin, Erin (December 5, 2018). "North Carolina election still undecided amid absentee ballot fraud inquiry". The Guardian via www.theguardian.com.
  22. "The Latest: AP Retracts call in North Carolina Congress race". AP. November 30, 2018. Retrieved December 1, 2018.
  23. SPECHT, PAUL; MURPHY, BRIAN. "NC elections board delays hearing on 9th Congressional District irregularities". The News & Observer. Retrieved December 27, 2018.
  24. Bock Clark, Doug (December 2, 2018). "Allegations of G.O.P. Election Fraud Shake North Carolina's Ninth District". The New Yorker. New York. Retrieved December 9, 2018.
  25. "North Carolina: Democrat withdraws concession in congressional race". Associated Press. The Guardian. December 7, 2018. Retrieved December 9, 2018.
  26. Caldwell, Leigh Ann. "New election ordered in North Carolina House district after possible illegal activities". NBC News. Retrieved February 21, 2019.
  27. Williams, Timothy (December 12, 2018). "North Carolina Legislature Calls for New Primary if New Election Is Held in Disputed District". The New York Times. New York. Retrieved December 13, 2018.
  28. Bruno, Joe (December 13, 2018). "Amid fraud probe, an election redo might require new primary for 9th District". WSOC-TV. Charlotte, N.C. Retrieved December 13, 2018.
  29. Harrison, Steve (December 13, 2018). "Latest On 9th Congressional District Fraud Allegations". WFAE 90.7 Charlotte's NPR News Source. Charlotte, N.C. Retrieved December 13, 2018.
  30. Woolverton, Paul. "Democrat Dan McCready files for 9th District Congressional race". The Fayetteville Observer. Retrieved June 2, 2019.
  31. Blinder, Alan (May 14, 2019). "Dan Bishop Wins North Carolina's Republican Primary for New Congressional Vote". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 2, 2019.
  32. Daniel Dale and Tara Subramaniam. "Trump made 20 false claims at his North Carolina rally". CNN. Retrieved July 22, 2019.
  33. Live results: North Carolina elections, Politico, September 10, 2019.
  34. "North Carolina's 9th Congressional District election, 2018". Ballotpedia.
  35. By. "A former Marine, Dan McCready finds his latest mission in a bid for Congress". charlotteobserver. Retrieved June 2, 2019.
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