Harris then announced his bid for the 8th district in 2024, following Bishop's decision to retire and instead run for Attorney General.

[5] He attended local schools there before earning his bachelor's degree in political science from Appalachian State University.

[11] Harris ran for the United States Senate in the 2014 election, finishing in third place in the Republican primary behind Thom Tillis and Greg Brannon.

[6] He later ran against incumbent congressman Robert Pittenger for North Carolina's 9th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives in the 2016 election.

[21] Following the November 6, 2018, midterm elections in North Carolina's 9th congressional district, initial tallies put Harris 905 votes ahead of his Democratic competitor, Dan McCready.

McCready conceded on the day after the election; however, the state Democratic Party filed affidavits claiming that the Harris campaign had engaged in ballot fraud.

[19] The Board of Elections later opened an investigation into the activities of Leslie McCrae Dowless, a Harris campaign operative who had prior felony convictions for perjury and fraud.

Britt added that in some cases, Dowless's associates had filled in blank ballot votes to favor Republican candidates and had falsified witness signatures.

Harris's attorney David Freedman also said "we agree that the actions that occurred in Bladen County likely affected the election.

[39] Harris won the nomination on March 5 against five other opponents, garnering just over 30% of the vote and thus avoiding a runoff against runner-up Allan Baucom.

[2] Harris won the November election, defeating Democratic nominee Justin Dues by around 19 points.

[44] According to Media Matters, Harris signed a statement which declared that "terrorist entities are not aberrations of Islam, they are the very essence of it.

[44] During the 2018 campaign, American Bridge 21st Century, a Democratic super PAC that conducts opposition research, brought attention to a 2013 sermon that Harris had given where he questioned whether it was the "healthiest pursuit" for women to prioritize their careers and independence over their biblical "core calling".

After the Supreme Court ruling, Harris said, "one of the most devastating blows to the American way of life has been the breakdown of the family unit.

"[46] Harris campaigned for the Public Facilities Privacy & Security Act (commonly known as the "bathroom bill") in North Carolina in 2016, which stated that in government buildings, individuals (such as students at state-operated schools) may only use restrooms and changing facilities that correspond to the sex identified on their birth certificate.

[52] Prior to his election to congress, Harris organized a church grassroots operation on behalf of the social conservative evangelical Family Research Council.

[53] Harris has promoted Family Research Council material that endorsed conversion therapy for gays and lesbians.

[6] In January 2019, Harris was reported to have falsely set off a fire alarm, allegedly to avoid news media.