Jefferson Griffin, the GOP candidate for North Carolina’s high court, has conceded the race. He waged a concerted campaign to try and invalidate the election results, but ultimately gave up the fight. Democratic Justice Allison Riggs is in a very tight lead in the race. After two recounts, she officially won her victory by only 734 votes.
Despite Griffin’s campaign, it was a costly six months of legal barriers. Federal District Judge Richard E. Myers II, named to the bench by former President Donald Trump, dismissed Griffin’s legal objections. He accomplished that in a detailed 68-page order. Myers emphasized the importance of adhering to established electoral rules, stating, “You don’t change them after the game is done.”
That ruling sealed Riggs’ victory. It provided a much-needed victory for Democrats in a major, traditionally swing state. The months of courtroom tussles over the race rendered it the final uncalled contest of the 2024 election cycle. Following the defeat, Griffin announced he would not appeal the court’s decision, saying, “While I do not fully agree with the District Court’s analysis, I respect the court’s holding — just as I have respected every judicial tribunal that has heard this case.”
This election outcome is indicative of a larger pattern we see playing out in North Carolina politics. With Riggs’ victory confirmed, Democrats are optimistic about their chances of regaining a majority in the state’s seven-justice court by 2028. DNC Chair Ken Martin commented on the implications of this ruling, stating, “For 200 days, Republicans in North Carolina sought to overturn the will of the people, hijack a state Supreme Court seat, and systematically undermine basic faith in our elections.” He added a cautionary note for future candidates, saying, “May this saga be a lesson to Republicans everywhere: If you try to undermine the will of the voters, you will lose.”
Griffin’s campaign, with the help of a specific legal fund, paid out almost $100,000 to lawyers. They made this move as a last-ditch effort to overturn the election. The result is a testament to the importance of protecting electoral integrity and honoring the will of voters. Critics of Griffin’s approach had cautioned that a successful challenge could embolden other candidates to seek to overturn election results after losing.
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