North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory Finally Accepts Defeat

He is the Tar Heel State’s first governor to lose a re-election bid since a 1970s constitutional amendment allowed governors to seek more than one term, the News and Observer reported. A hearing on blocking the certification had been set for Thursday. McCrory’s campaign also challenged the validity of hundreds of votes it said may have been cast by felons and dead people.

The withdrawal request was filed the same day Republican Gov.

Gay rights groups that made the defeat of McCrory this year a top priority because of HB2 are celebrating.

In response to McCrory’s concession, Cooper tweeted, “thank you”.

“I ask all of us to please pray for our new Governor Roy Cooper and our new President Donald Trump and their families”, he said in the video.

McCrory earlier this year sparked widespread outrage when he signed House Bill 2, which bans transgender people from using public restrooms based on their gender identity and prohibits local municipalities from enacting LGBT-inclusive nondiscrimination measures. However, Republicans retain super majorities in both legislative chambers.

HB2 has cost North Carolina on multiple fronts.

Democrat Roy Cooper has responded to North Carolina Gov.

“While this was a divisive election season, I know still that there is more than unites us than divides us”, Cooper said.

Or was he already well known because of his role of Attorney General? The state board is likely to certify the result later this week. Pat McCrory (R) has finally conceded to opponent Democrat Roy Cooper in the gubernatorial election.

As of Monday evening, almost a month past Election Day, the N.C. Board of Elections website said Cooper led with 2,309,238 votes to McCrory’s 2,298,945 – a margin of 10,293 votes.

Shortly after McCrory posted his concession announcement, Governor-elect Cooper issued a statement thanking his predecessor for his service, and calling for unity after a bitter campaign.

McCrory reached out to the State Bureau of Investigation about the probe in Bladen County “after the State Board of Elections dismissed a protest calling for those ballots to be thrown out”.

The N.C. Board of Elections last week ordered the Durham board to do the recount. However, as ballots continued to be counted, Cooper pulled ahead by more than enough, making it clear that McCrory had to accept defeat.

Incoming governor Mr Cooper said he wanted to repeal the law.

JEFF TIBERII, BYLINE: This was the closest gubernatorial election in the state’s modern history, with Cooper and McCrory separated by less than 1 percent, just more than 10,000 votes.