A judge in Raleigh says he won't step in and declare victory for the Republican in the country's last undecided congressional race amid an investigation into whether his lead was boosted by illegal vote-collection tactics.
Judge Paul Ridgeway says the state Board of Elections investigation should continue.
Republican Mark Harris leads Democrat Dan McCready by 905 votes. A Harris campaign operative has been accused of improper vote gathering activities.
The state elections board was disbanded by an unrelated court order last month, and a new one takes over in nine days.
Harris's attorneys argued the judge should step in because the district's residents urgently need a representative in Washington, D.C.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.