Establishment GOP Consulting Group Allegedly Hires Fraudster to Harvest Ballots in NC

The results of North Carolina’s 9th Congressional District race have been thrown into turmoil after an GOP establishment consulting group allegedly hired a convicted felon to harvest ballots on behalf of Congressman-elect Mark Harris (R-N.C.).

“The person at the center of the fraud suspicions in Bladen County, Leslie McCrae Dowless, is a convicted felon that has been in the vote-harvesting game for years,” according to First in Freedom Daily. “Dowless was contracted by Red Dome Group, a Republican consultancy, to turn out the vote. Now they both may be getting subpoenaed. The Harris campaign has already received one.”

The consultancy firm is allegedly deeply embedded within the Republican establishment, as is Harris himself.

“The group that hired Dowless, the Red Dome Group, is a establishment Republican consulting firm led by founder Andy Yates,” First in Freedom continued. “The firm is essentially blessed by the establishment, and as such has a long list of notable clients from the state legislature to congress.”

Harris’ chief consultant was Yeats, Red Dome’s founder, who told The Washington Post that the campaign knew Dowless was hired by Red Dome but that they believed they were operating lawfully. Dowless allegedly paid people to pick up and deliver absentee ballots on behalf of the Harris campaign, a process called “ballot harvesting.” If it sounds unethical, consider that the practice is actually legal in California, and was used by Democrats to collect 250,000 absentee ballots after Election Day.

The report said that Dowless himself, who is an elected official in Bladen County, actually filed voter fraud with the State Board of Elections, which were dismissed.

First in Freedom reported:

“For years, Leslie McCrae Dowless Jr. has been well known in Bladen County political circles.

Dowless, who goes by McCrae, serves on the board of the Bladen County Soil and Water Conservation District as the vice chair, an elected position.[…]

Dowless has a criminal record dating back to the 1980s.

Records show Dowless served six months in prison after being convicted of felony fraud charge in 1992. Dowless has also previously faced a charge for perjury. [… ]

Dowless has a criminal record dating back to the 1980s.

Records show Dowless served six months in prison after being convicted of felony fraud charge in 1992. Dowless has also previously faced a charge for perjury.”

When the Republican establishment is not busy doing nothing, apparently it is contacting sketchy characters to work on U.S. House races.

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