About
Dan Bishop (R-N.C.) has served North Carolina in the U.S. House of Representatives since September 2019, when he won a seat in the 9th Congressional District in a special election. Once the state announced its new redistricting plan, he complained that “activist judges [had] subverted our constitution” by imposing “their own map” and briefly considered not running for reelection in 2022. But instead he ran for the seat in the 8th Congressional District, ultimately winning with more than 70% of the vote.
Before representing the state at the federal level, Bishop served in the North Carolina State Senate from 2017–19 and as a member of the State House of Representatives from 2015–17. He was also a member of the Mecklenburg County Commission from 2004–08 and worked in the private sector for 29 years after earning his law degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
As a state senator, Bishop wrote North Carolina’s “bathroom bill,” a law that required transgender individuals to use public restrooms aligned with their gender at birth. Although it has been partially repealed, the policy triggered national condemnation and is said to have cost North Carolina $3.76 billion in lost revenue, according to an analysis by the Associated Press.
After the 2020 presidential election, Bishop helped spread the Big Lie by casting doubt on the legitimacy of the process and making claims of fraud unfounded by facts. He objected to certifying the Electoral College results and voted against both impeaching Trump for inciting the mob and establishing a special House committee to investigate the insurrection, among other measures.
January 6, 2021
- Just hours after Trump supporters stormed the Capitol, Bishop joined 146 other congressional Republicans in refusing to certify Biden’s win of the 2020 presidential election..
- On Jan. 13, 2021, Bishop voted against impeaching Trump for his role in inciting the insurrection, arguing that the articles of impeachment failed to identify any “inciting” language from the former president.
- He also voted against establishing either a special commission or a House committee to investigate the Jan. 6 attack. Bishop criticized his colleague, Rep. John Katko (R-N.Y.), for co-sponsoring legislation to create a special commission (an idea later rejected by Senate Republicans), saying, “If it was an insurrection, it was the worst example of an insurrection in the history of mankind. It was a riot. It was a mob. And it was significant. And it was troublesome. But this is not bipartisanship.”
The Big Lie
- On Nov. 6, 2020, Bishop alleged widespread voting fraud, tweeting: “I’m echoing the President’s claims. Indications of grossly improper conduct from election officials right here in my district. And Trump’s points are persuasive: concerted use of fraudulent polls; stunning and implausible ballot dumps overnight; observers barred.”
- Bishop falsely accused poll workers in Anson County, North Carolina of fraud and harassment, claiming that they pressured voters to enter the voting booths.
- On Nov. 6 and Dec. 1, 2020, Bishop was among the House Republicans who signed letters to Attorney General Bill Barr urging the Justice Department to investigate the outcome of the presidential election due to “a number of anomalies, statistical improbabilities and accusations of fraud” during the voting process.
- In November 2020, Bishop introduced the Stop Voter Fraud Act, which directs the Justice Department and the U.S. Attorney General’s Office to create a national strategy to combat and prevent voter fraud nationwide.
- Bishop was among 34 Republican members of Congress who repeatedly texted White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows about various schemes to overturn the election results—both before and after the events of Jan. 6, according to TPM.
- On Dec. 10, 2020, Bishop signed an amicus brief in a lawsuit filed by the state of Texas urging the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn the results of the presidential election in four swing states: Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.
- On Jan. 5, 2021, Bishop posted a statement and report in which he said, “My analysis of the tactics, purposes and possible impacts of the Democrats’ national litigation campaign to disrupt 2020 election operations remains 100% factual and accurate. Consequently, I have no regrets about publishing it.”
- When voting against certification of Electoral College results, Bishop said, “I know that Joe Biden will be president,” but added that he wanted to “reflect on what might be better or what might seriously have gone wrong here….” He also claimed in floor debate that a “coordinated nationwide partisan plan” that involved lawsuits filed by Democratic election lawyer Mark Elias forced states to change election procedures.
- In January 2021, Bishop criticized Democratic-sponsored voter protection legislation, tweeting, “As 2020 unfolded, Democrats attacked election laws passed by state legislatures in state after state. They tried to overwhelm the system by using forum shopping, repetitive suits and collusive settlements. All to take away YOUR vote and get Dems elected.”