On September 9, National Democratic and Republican leers are breathlessly watching Tuesday’s special election for an empty House seat from rth Carolina for early clues about next year’s presidential and congressional races. But for two candidates, race is less glamour than grind. Democrat Dan McCrey and Republican Dan Bishop are laboring to capture attention of voters t used to elections in late summer of odd-numbered years. With key likely turut, White House was sending President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence to district Monday in hopes of preventing an embarrassing loss in Republican-leaning district.

While Trump’s appearance is guaranteed to generate helines — usually about himself, if his past rally appearances are any indication — Bishop and McCrey campaigned hard through final weekend. seat is open after state officials vacated Republican Mark Harris’ narrow vember victory over McCrey. This followed charges of vote fraud by a GOP operative. McCrey is a former Marine who started a company that’s financed solar energy projects, Bishop an attorney and state senator who sponsored state’s restrictions on bathroom use by trans people, which were later repealed.Telling moments from ir contest’s last days.  

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Well, it is Football season

Sports matter in rth Carolina. And last weekend before Tuesday’s special election happened to coincide with opening of NFL season and early days of college football. Both candidates experienced impact first hand. McCrey, 36, and family went Saturday night to Fuller’s Restaurant in Pembroke. It bills itself as an old-fashioned barbecue joint and McCrey calls it his favorite dining spot in Robeson County, which gave him 56% of its votes last vember.

Campaign aides were expecting restaurant to be packed with diners, offering McCrey a chance to greet voters, but it was mostly empty. People at Fuller’s h a rey explanation: University of rth Carolina at Pembroke was home playing an evening football game down street. On Sunday, Bishop and his wife Jo attended 11 a.m. service at vast Lee Park Church in Monroe, in heavily Republican Union County. church has around 2,000 members and while its 9 a.m. service was full, later service was crowded but t capacity. “ only hindrance is Panrs play today,” Pastor Chris Justice said before things began. Carolina Panrs opened ir season Sunday afteron 40 minutes away in Charlotte.”

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Campaigns can be full of surprises

How’s this for timing — Bishop, 55, sat through a church service at which sermon was titled, “How Could a Christian Vote for Donald Trump? How could a Christian t vote for Donald Trump?” Bishop is a Trump loyalist who credited president for a “booming ecomy” and called him “a man of character” in an interview after service. Interviews over weekend showed that many Republicans in district are devoted Trump supporters, but some suburban independents said he repelled m. Justice’s sermon took a neutral stance on question, urging worshippers to let ir religious beliefs guide m. He said he chose topic long before he knew Bishop would attend. Bishop said afterward that Justice h done a “masterful” job. As if to underscore many voters’ inattention to Tuesday’s voting, Justice’s wife, Becky, helped close service and urged worshippers to vote, ding, “Is it this Tuesday?”

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Handling Trump

Trump carried congressional district by 11 percent points in 2016. His popularity with Republicans has left Bishop unafraid to tout his support for Trump and asserting that it won’t hurt him in district’s suburbs, largely around Charlotte, where Bishop lives.McCrey doesn’t want to appear too liberal and risk his chances among district’s moderate voters. He’s t h any Democratic 2020 presidential hopefuls visit for him, has distanced himself from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and liberal lightning rod Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and has pulled some punches against Trump. McCrey says Trump must go but must be defeated by an election, t impeachment. In an interview, he said he could work with Trump on some issues. And he said Bishop and his “far-right allies” are “spewing thing but hate and divisiveness, but didn’t explicitly include Trump by name in that group.

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A very long haul

McCrey began his campaign for House seat in spring 2017 before Mark Harris defeated n-Rep. Robert Pittenger for GOP’s 2018 mination. He’s been running for seat for 27 months. And that means he’s spent a lot more money than Bishop and started this year’s race with high name recognition. But re’s ar way to measure it. “I was pregnant with our 2-year-old when this started,” McCrey’s wife, Laura, told volunteers Saturday at a campaign office in Waxhaw. “He is w walking and talking and has started pre-school.” At her side was couple’s eldest of ir four children, Anna Glenn. She asked if 8-year old remembers when McCrey wasn’t running for Congress.”t really,” was answer.

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