Yesterday, North Carolina’s Supreme Court race concluded with Jefferson Griffin finally acknowledging that he lost – a righteous win for democracy and the will of North Carolinians. For nearly six months, disgraced candidate Jefferson Griffin and North Carolina Republicans waged a baseless legal battle to silence North Carolina voters and steal a fair and free election. Now, their attacks are receiving mass condemnation across the state as North Carolinians send a clear message to Republicans everywhere: Politicians don’t elect politicians – voters do, and any attempt to undermine the will of voters will end in defeat. 

Take a look at the response below:

NC Newsline: Judge Griffin’s concession in Supreme Court contest doesn’t undo the damage he inflicted 

[Rob Schofield, 5/8/25]

“Griffin’s challenge – which called for trashing thousands of ballots cast by voters according to the rules in effect last November – has done tremendous damage.

“Not only did it waste vast sums of money and further undermine the public’s confidence in the judiciary, but one fears that it will inspire copycat losers in future elections who will try to overturn their losses by retroactively altering election rules. …

“The bottom line: a federal judge dismissed Griffin’s shameless challenge as unconstitutional, but several of Griffin’s GOP pals on the state courts were ready to go along with it. And that’s a red flag that should alarm us all.”

News & Observer: These six judges brought shame to our state in the NC Supreme Court race | Editorial

[Editorial Board, 5/8/25]

“Under Newby, the court previously had demonstrated a partisan slant by reversing rulings on gerrymandering and photo ID requirements for voting. But its conduct in the Griffin case has made it clear beyond a doubt that the state’s highest court puts politics before the law. 

“Newby was accompanied in this attempted theft of an election by three fellow Republican justices, Tamara Barringer, Philip Berger Jr. and Curtis ‘Trey’ Allen, as well as two Republican Court of Appeals judges, John Tyson and Fred Gore. 

“Each of these judges has brought shame to the judiciary and embarrassment to North Carolina. All voters should remember their names. …

“Newby presided over those legal contortions to give Griffin a shot at reversing the election’s outcome. Griffin’s complaint lacked merit, but it was full of danger. It was predicated not on the law, but on the hope that Republican justices would base their judgment on the political advantage of adding another Republican to the court.”

Charlotte Observer: The Griffin case will still bring deep consequences for North Carolina | Opinion

[Andrew Dunn, 5/7/25]

“North Carolina just dodged a political disaster. …

But the road that brought us here caused lasting damage. The debacle injected doubt into the judiciary and may have redefined how close races get decided in North Carolina. …

“Challenging close elections is nothing new. But Griffin’s challenge went far beyond the norm, seeking to disqualify votes using legal arguments never tested in court. It wasn’t a defense of election integrity. It was a cynical gamble. 

“The concern now is that this becomes routine. There’s reason to worry that we’ll never fully return to an Election Day where the results are clear, the losers concede, and the process is trusted. The new playbook may be to drag things out in court, hoping for a favorable bench to deliver a win. Activists on both sides will expect it. …

“Once lost, trust is hard to rebuild — not because people stop voting, but because they stop believing that the law matters more than party affiliation. That’s the deeper damage of the Griffin case. 

“Even though the challenge failed, it handed ammunition to those who see judges as political actors. And it made it harder for the best justices, the ones who actually follow the law, to be taken seriously.”

Charlotte Observer: Don’t be fooled by Jefferson Griffin’s civil concession. He tried to steal an election | Opinion

[Issac Bailey, 5/7/25]

“Jefferson Griffin deserves no credit for finally conceding more than six months after he lost his attempt to be elevated to the North Carolina Supreme Court. During those six months, he undermined democracy and made a joke of the rule of law. …

“He respected nothing but his unquenchable thirst for more power, no matter how much damage he’d have to inflict upon our democracy to satisfy it. He was willing to disenfranchise thousands, maybe tens of thousands of North Carolinians, in his quest. …

“If he and fellow North Carolina Republicans can conjure up another way to steal an election, whether for a seat on the state Supreme Court, the governorship, or Senate, they’ve made clear they’ll do it. That’s Griffin’s legacy. …

“He’s opened the door to voters’ choices no longer mattering in a state in which Republicans have already gerrymandered their way to more power than they’ve earned. …

“That’s why it must not be downplayed. It doesn’t end with Griffin’s long overdue concession of a race he lost six months ago. It set precedent that will haunt us for decades to come.”

USA Today: This North Carolina election is finally over. A Republican can concede after all. | Opinion

[Sara Pequeño, 5/7/25]

“While this is the reasonable result from the ongoing legal drama, the battle didn’t need to play out in the first place. It isn’t right that North Carolinians had their tax dollars wasted on court proceedings that ultimately didn’t change the election result, nor is it good that democracy was even questioned in this way. …

“Voters should be able to trust their elected judges. They should be able to trust that their votes matter. This entire process has eroded that trust; even though the ruling is being treated as a win by the Democratic Party, the damage has already been done.

“Republicans have proved that they would rather waste tax dollars trying to fix an election in their favor than admit defeat. In the end, however, the candidate who won the election also won the legal challenges. That’s how democracy should work.”

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