FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. — State Sen. Dan Bishop easily won the Republican nomination for the 9th Congressional District in Tuesday’s special primary.

Bishop, R-Mecklenburg, garnered 48 percent of the vote, far outdistancing Union County Commissioner Stony Rushing, who finished second in the 10-person race with 20 percent, according to unofficial results.

A new election was called after Republican Mark Harris, who appeared to beat Democrat Dan McCready in November’s general election, acknowledged the need for a do-over following revelations that his operative in Bladen County likely paid people to illegally collect absentee ballots.

Harris declined to run again and endorsed Rushing for the seat.