Posted on 12/05/2016 12:56:29 PM PST by SeekAndFind
Republicans had a great night at every level in last month’s elections, but not everyone went home a winner. Governor Pat McCrory trailed in his re-election bid but refused to concede the election, requesting a recount and alleging irregularities in the voting, especially in Durham County. Today McCrory surrendered to the inevitable, and promised to help governor-elect Roy Cooper successfully and quickly transition into the office:
North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory conceded the governor’s race Monday, clearing the way for Democrat Roy Cooper to be declared the winner nearly four weeks after Election Day.
The win by Cooper, the state’s outgoing attorney general, gives Democrats an important consolation prize after a disappointing election across the country. However, Republicans retain super majorities in both legislative chambers.
In a video message from his office posted to YouTube, McCrory said, “Despite continued questions that should be answered regarding the voting process, I personally believe that the majority of our citizens have spoken, and we now should do everything we can to support the 75th governor of North Carolina, Roy Cooper.”
In a way, the controversy in North Carolina resembles that of Jill Stein’s recount demands in Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania. For that matter, so does McCrory’s reasoning behind contesting the results — supposed concerns about integrity in the ballot-counting system. There’s one major exception, though, which is that a recount would at least theoretically impact McCrory’s status in the election. He was the runner-up, not a fourth-place fringe candidate for whom a recount would make no difference at all.
However, the numbers made McCrory’s efforts nothing short of quixotic. The state cast around 4.7 million votes and McCrory trails by 10,263, according to the state Board of Elections unofficial tally. That’s a 0.218% difference, but it’s about ten times the amount that a recall would likely change. That’s almost the same difference as Michigan in the presidential race, which was ordered to begin its recount today by a federal judge, where an outcome-changing difference is equally improbable.
McCrory belatedly realized that this was going nowhere, and took the responsible action of admitting to reality and allowing the state of North Carolina to get back to business with a minimum of disruption. Too bad that Jill Stein, who has much less rational standing for her demands, doesn’t have the same sense of civic responsibility.
Addendum: As the Associated Press notes, Cooper’s not going to have an easy time as McCrory’s successor. Republicans have a supermajority in the state legislature, which means that they can govern without Cooper’s approval on issues that unite them. Republicans lost the seat, which isn’t nothing, but they haven’t yet lost the state.
I’m sorry he lost, but I’m glad he put up a fight and defended his rejection of that Bathroom Bill.
Hopefully, there will be a future for this man in public service. he put up a good fight.
When I learned he was responsible for the Monroe Toll Bypass, I stopped wanting him to win. Hope he retires to Bermuda on what whoever it was paid him to revive this stinker.
HB-1 is state law now, and there are substantial Republican majorities in both houses. It is very likely to remain state law.
This could be a real impeachment moment.
TRUMP won NC pretty easily, seems lots of people didn't vote for McCrory
I know the coal ash and toll road stuff turned people off of McCrory but to me these are minor issues compared to the socialist PC crap that he fought hard against.
To me having a democrat in office is NEVER a better choice.
He lost due to his support of a toll road that goes through the very base that elected him
Oh, I voted for him, because I think Cooper is a dreadful creep (and a Democrat, but I repeat myself). However, I’m unable to summon up any sadness now that he’s officially lost. The toll road is coming right past me. It’s going to be a nightmare for years of construction, and (in all likelihood) a worthless money pit when it’s done.
The only good part is for those people working construction jobs.
Heh, fun times.
My guess is, though, that the malfeasance can't be proved, and it's more politically expedient for McCrory to walk away from the fight than spend all of his political capital on a losing battle. I'll bet we'll see him turn up in Trump's cabinet somewhere, or in politics at a national level.
Yeah, put him in Transportation. Nationwide Interstate Highway tolls coming up!
Then, he started reading only his own press releases and decided to pander to his constituents, rather than enforce the laws. That was his end, AFAIC.
But, I suppose that he's not the first good man to get captured by politics. It's a shame, really.
Hate to see someone win on letting pervs into bathrooms.
Hope this doesn’t moot the Civitas Institute lawsuit about unchecked ‘same day’ registrants’ votes.
They let the polls in Durham stay open an extra few hours—and Durham is one notoriously corrupt city.
No doubt at all in my mind that a lot of phony votes were “found” to be case in Durham.
CondorFlight: Can you give us some specifics on corruption in Durham. I think freepers would appreciate an insight as to what is out there in Democratic corruption land.
New toll portion of 540 will be a mile or so from me but I still wanted McCrory over liberal Cooper.
It is sad that the Democrats have taken a Gov. seat.
I voted for him, but I am not surprised that he lost. The toll road deal looked a lot like corruption, flying back and forth in the state’s jet between Raleigh and Charlotte in weekends showed a decided lack of fiscal conservatism, and I doubt the results from Durham were honest. Couple that with the fact that we have had Yankee liberals oozing here for decades makes NC more of a contest than it was twenty or thirty years ago. A more serious loss in my opinion was the attorney general office- Buck Newton conceded today which means that our state will have to continue to rely on lawyers hired by the General Assembly to defend NC against repeated legal assaults from the Federal courts. Cooper essentially refused to do his duty and it is a certainty Stein, the AG elect, will take the same line.
transvestites in the bathrooms of the sexes they wish they were is the 3rd rail of politics: whoever touches it first loses. It’s usually been Democrat pols, but in this case, it was McCrory. Shoulda let Dems been the ones to bring it up first.
What's bad about this loss, imo, is that it signals my so-called swing state is about to make a left turn and head even farther in that direction. :(
And once that happens... well... there's no going back to saner governance or even reasonable compromises.
This great state will be BLUE through-and-through before I die.
Pitooie!
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