Yesterday, DNC Chair Jaime Harrison hosted a press call alongside North Carolina Democratic leaders – former North Carolina Democratic Governor Roy Cooper and Chair of the North Carolina Democratic Party Anderson Clayton – blasting North Carolina Supreme Court candidate Jefferson Griffin and Republicans for doing everything in their power to call elections into question just to overturn a fair and free election that Griffin lost against Democratic incumbent Justice Allison Riggs. The press call highlighted how Republicans’ call to throw out 60,000 lawfully cast ballots is a direct attack on the will of North Carolina voters and democracy. The DNC will continue to fight back against Republicans’ anti-democratic attacks and ensure North Carolinians’ voices are heard.  

Here’s what folks are seeing on broadcast: 

Queen City News: “‘Republicans are doing what they do best: trying to change the facts of the election all together.’ That’s DNC Chair Jaime Harrison accusing North Carolina Republicans of launching an assault against voting rights Monday afternoon. … ‘They can’t stand the fact that they were rejected by North Carolina voters fair and square. They’ve become more and more desperate as the weeks have dragged on.’ … ‘This playbook is not new to our state, but it is one that Republicans will take and make a national playbook if they’re able to succeed here.’” 

Here’s what folks are reading: 

News & Observer: Democrats blast ‘rock bottom maneuver’ to throw out 60,000 ballots in NC Supreme Court race

[Kyle Ingram, 1/13/25]

“The Democratic National Committee has stepped into the fray, intervening in one of the legal cases and attempting to draw public attention to what Chair Jaime Harrison on Monday called a ‘rock bottom maneuver to circumvent the will of North Carolina voters.’”

“On Monday, the DNC held a press call alongside former Gov. Roy Cooper and state party chair Anderson Clayton to denounce Griffin’s efforts. 

“‘A man who is running to sit on a bench to uphold the laws is now actively — to this day — trying every trick in the book to defy them,’ Clayton said.”

NC Newsline: Roy Cooper blasts ‘egregious attack on the right to vote’ in state Supreme Court race

[Brandon Kingdollar, 1/13/25]

“In some of his first post-gubernatorial remarks on state politics, Roy Cooper condemned Judge Jefferson Griffin’s ongoing election lawsuit as an ‘egregious attack on the right to vote’ that threatens to disenfranchise tens of thousands of North Carolinians.

“‘For those who don’t follow elections closely, it’s important for you to know that this is just not another step in the recount process,’ Cooper said during a Monday afternoon virtual news conference with Democratic Party officials. ‘This is a scheme to throw out legal votes en masse by eligible voters who even showed their voter ID to be able to vote.’

“Also present on the call were outgoing Democratic National Committee Chair Jaime Harrison of South Carolina and North Carolina party chair Anderson Clayton. Harrison tied Griffin’s efforts to the Jan. 6 insurrection following Donald Trump’s 2020 election loss, reminding attendees that ‘democracy is not something guaranteed to us’ and must be fought for.

“‘They just want to win so badly that they will do anything in order to be able to win, and it’s deeply concerning that the North Carolina Supreme Court has stopped the certification of this election,’ Cooper said. ‘The eyes of the entire country are on this race because the implications of having free and fair elections that are being questioned and potentially overturned are devastating.’

“He said he expects ‘copycat lawsuits’ around the country should Griffin’s challenge succeed from other candidates unwilling to concede defeat in their elections. ‘Voters in North Carolina will be unable to walk out of a voting booth ever again and feel confident that their vote will count.’

“‘Whether candidates win or lose, they need to respect the results, because we do live in a democracy,’ Cooper said. ‘We’ll continue to fight for Justice Riggs because 60,000 North Carolina eligible voters will be silenced if she is not declared the rightful winner in this race.’”

Queen City News: DNC leaders calling ongoing NC Supreme Court legal battle ‘an assault on voting rights’

[Andy Weber, 1/13/25]

“National Democratic leaders are calling the ongoing legal challenge in a race for a North Carolina Supreme Court seat, an assault on voting rights.

“DNC Chair Jaime Harrison spoke with reporters Monday afternoon, as North Carolina’s GOP and Republican Jefferson Griffin prepare their arguments for why tens of thousands of ballots should be thrown out. Griffin has lost multiple recounts to incumbent, Democratic Justice Allison Riggs.

“‘They can’t stand the fact that they were rejected by North Carolina voters. Fair and square. They become more and more desperate as the weeks have dragged on,’ said Harrison.

“‘This playbook is not new to our state, but it is one that Republicans will take and make a national playbook if they’re able to succeed here,’ said North Carolina Chair Anderson Clayton.”

WUNC: The contested race for a North Carolina Supreme Court seat is drawing national attention

[WUNC Staff, 1/13/25]

“Addressing reporters on Monday, Democratic National Committee Chairman Jaime Harrison recalled the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol by supporters of Donald Trump aimed at overturning the results of the 2020 presidential election.

“‘The ability of Americans to vote, our most sacred right, is now, once again, under attack by Republicans,’ Harrison said. ‘The ground zero of this fight, in early 2025, lies in the great state of North Carolina.’

“‘If they are successful in this scheme,’ warned former Gov. Roy Cooper, referring to Griffin and fellow Republicans, ‘there will be copycat lawsuits across this country for races where they don’t like the results.’

“‘These are 60,000 North Carolinians that followed the rules,’ North Carolina Democratic Party Chairwoman Anderson Clayton said on Monday’s call with reporters. ‘They did nothing wrong.’

“Anderson Clayton told reporters that the effort underway by Griffin is bigger than just one judicial race in North Carolina.

“‘We’re talking about a calculated effort by a sitting judge to throw out votes and reject the results of a fair and free election,’ she added.”

WRAL: National Democratic Party boss: GOP’s challenge to 60,000 NC voters ‘egregious assault’ on democracy

[Will Doran, 1/13/25]

“The head of the national Democratic Party, Jaime Harrison, spoke to reporters Monday about what he called an ‘egregious assault’ on voting rights.

“‘The ability of Americans to vote — our most sacred right — is now once again under attack by Republicans,’ Harrison said. ‘The ground-zero of this fight in early 2025 lies in the great state of North Carolina.’

“Harrison and others said they see what’s happening in North Carolina as a test case: A legal theory that, if it’s successful, could potentially be used to overturn election results anywhere in the U.S. in future elections.

“‘If they are successful in this scheme, there will be copycat lawsuits across the country for races where they don’t like the result,’ former Gov. Roy Cooper, a Democrat, said Monday in the call with Harrison.

“If the ballots are thrown out, Griffin has said in legal filings, he believes will end up winning the race.

“Harrison said Monday that’s because the 60,000 voters the GOP is targeting disproportionately include women and Black people.

“Anderson Clayton, who chairs the state Democratic Party, made that same claim. She also predicted that if Griffin’s strategy succeeds this year, Republicans would try it on a larger scale in the future.

“‘This time it’s 60,000 ballots,’ she said. ‘Next time, it’s 100,000 ballots, and then it’s 250,000 ballots, until no votes get counted. What’s the point of voting, if Republicans in North Carolina are allowed to do this?’”

The Center Square: Democrats lash out at Republicans, Griffin

[Alan Wooten, 1/13/25] 

“Calling it ‘egregious assaults on voting rights’ and ‘sinister and shameful,’ Democrats alongside North Carolina’s unsettled election battle lashed out at Republicans and Judge Jefferson Griffin on Monday afternoon.

“Calling Griffin’s protests of about 60,000 votes ‘baseless,’ Harrison said, ‘They can’t stand the fact that they were rejected by North Carolina voters fair and square. They want to throw out votes by eligible North Carolina residents.’

“Cooper, his eight years as governor having ended Dec. 31, called the court action against a state panel with majority tied to his appointment power ‘an egregious attack on the right to vote. They will do anything in order to win.’

“Less than one-tenth of 1% of 1.8 million had any trouble with the new law on Super Tuesday last year with the litigation challenges six years later finally overcome. Harrison, Cooper and Clayton on Monday all lauded how well Democrats did in November, a rebuke of previous arguments from the former governor and others that the party would be hurt by photo ID.

“Clayton, in answer to one of seven questions allowed, said the courts and other areas are being politicized by the Republican majority Legislature. She called the state a 50-50 makeup, though Saturday’s update continues to show unaffiliated registrations are the largest voting bloc with more than one-third of the state’s more than 7.8 million.”

WUNC: Fight for state Supreme Court seat part of a wider GOP power grab, Democrats say

[Rusty Jacobs, 1/14/25]

“‘And this is just simply another attempt for them to control elections in this state,’ Cooper said on a video call with reporters on Monday.

“Cooper joined Anderson Clayton, chairwoman of the North Carolina Democratic Party and Jaime Harrison, chairman of the Democratic National Committee, on Monday’s call to criticize the GOP legal battles over the state Supreme Court race.

“Clayton, the state Democratic Party chairwoman, told reporters yesterday the GOP power grabs cannot be separated from Republican judicial candidate Jefferson Griffin’s attempts to persuade the solidly conservative North Carolina Supreme Court to side with him on his election protests.

“‘What we’re talking about today,’ Clayton said, ‘is bigger than just one race in North Carolina.’

“‘We’re talking about a calculated effort by a sitting judge to throw out votes and reject the results of a fair and free election,’ she added.”

Cardinal & Pine: On Tuesday, advocates will read the names of all 60,000 voters Jefferson Griffin wants to erase

[Michael McElroy, 1/13/25]

“In a virtual news conference about the lawsuit on Monday, Roy Cooper, now the former governor of North Carolina, said that Griffin’s lawsuit was no normal election protest.

“‘This is not just another step in the recount process,’ Cooper said. ‘This is a scheme to throw out legal votes en masse by eligible voters who even showed their voter ID to be able to vote.’

“He added: ‘Justice Allison Riggs won this election, period. Two separate recounts have confirmed this fact. Republicans know this. Judge Griffin … knows this.’ 

“A reporter asked Cooper what all these voters had in common.

“‘They are all eligible voters who cast legal votes,’ Cooper answered. ‘That’s what they have in common.’”

Democracy Docket: North Carolina Judge Denies Republicans’ Request To Toss 60,000 Ballots

[Rachel Selzer, 1/13/25]

“The Democratic National Committee (DNC), which sought involvement in the case, urged the court to reject the GOP’s request, describing it as a ‘mass voter suppression’ effort that aimed to ‘delete the votes of tens of thousands of voters in every state and municipal election not because those voters are ineligible or did anything wrong, but because of an alleged record keeping problem.’” 

“The DNC noted that all of the registrants at issue proved their identities when they first voted, as required by federal law. Additionally, the Democrats explained that the Republican challenge is broader in scope as compared to Griffin’s, since it not only sought to remove ballots in the state Supreme Court race, but also in ‘completely undisputed’ state and local races.”