Last Election Race of 2024 Is Settled

The Republican challenger for a North Carolina Supreme Court seat conceded last November's election on Wednesday to Democratic incumbent Allison Riggs, two days after a federal judge ruled that potentially thousands of disputed ballots challenged by Jefferson Griffin must remain in the final tally.

• In a statement provided by his campaign to the AP, Griffin said he would not appeal Monday's decision by US District Judge Richard Myers, who also ordered that the State Board of Elections certify results that show Riggs is the winner by 734 votes from over 5.5 million ballots cast in the race.

• Griffin's decision sets the stage for Riggs to be officially elected to an eight-year term as an associate justice. "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," Griffin said. "I will not appeal the court's decision."
• Myers delayed carrying out his order for seven days in case Griffin wanted to ask the 4th US Circuit Court of Appeals to review his decision. Democrats, meanwhile, had called on Griffin to accept defeat.
• Riggs is one of two Democrats on the seven-member state Supreme Court, and winning improved the party's efforts to retake a court majority later in the decade. Griffin is a state Court of Appeals judge whose term ends in 2028.

• While the AP declared over 4,800 winners in the 2024 general election, the North Carolina Supreme Court election was the last race nationally that was undecided.
• Myers ruled that Griffin's efforts after the Nov. 5 election to remove from the election total ballots that state appeals courts agreed were ineligible under state law would have damaged federal due process or equal protection rights of affected voters had they been implemented.
• Riggs said in a news release Wednesday that she was "glad the will of the voters was finally heard." "It's been my honor to lead this fight—even though it should never have happened—and I'm in awe of the North Carolinians whose courage reminds us all that we can use our voices to hold accountable any politician who seeks to take power out of the hands of the people," she said.

(More Election 2024 stories.)