Raleigh, September 11 (RHC)-- A U.S. Republican politician who aligned himself closely with President Donald Trump has won a special U.S. congressional election in North Carolina, giving Trump a victory, although a narrow one.  The congressional race is seen as a litmus test for next year's presidential campaign -- pointing toward the re-election of Donald Trump.

Republican Dan Bishop defeated Democrat Dan McCready in Tuesday’s special election in North Carolina’s 9th Congressional District, winning a seat in the US House of Representatives.

North Carolina’s House election was scrapped last year after allegations of ballot tampering by a Republican political consultant.

Both parties poured millions of dollars into the election do-over, with the final contest of the 2018 congressional midterms being watched for signs of their prospects in 2020.

Bishop, a 55-year-old state senator for whom Trump campaigned, became known in the US for sponsoring a 2016 measure in the state legislature restricting public restroom access for transgender people.

Trump, who flew to the district on Monday night to rally the Republican base for Bishop, moved immediately to take credit.  “Dan Bishop was down 17 points 3 weeks ago. He then asked me for help, we changed his strategy together, and he ran a great race,” Trump wrote on Twitter.

Republicans hope the victory will help the party gain more seats in the House after Democrats won 40 seats and overall control in House elections last November.