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Gov. Pat McCrory appears defeated in NC but won’t concede to Roy Cooper

Gov. Pat McCrory appears defeated in NC but won’t concede to Roy Cooper
North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory and Attorney General Roy Cooper Photo: composite

The North Carolina gubernatorial race between Gov. Pat McCrory and Attorney General Roy Cooper is still too close to call, with less than five thousand votes separating them.

Cooper is in the lead and has declared victory but McCrory is not admitting defeat, asking that all provisional ballots be counted before it is called.

McCrory has seen his approval rating plummet amid the loss of millions of dollars in lost revenue and thousands of jobs due to boycotting of the anti-LGBTQ law House Bill 2 (HB2) he signed into law. HB2 invalidated nondiscrimination ordinances across the state, requires trans people to use bathrooms and locker rooms according to the gender on their birth certificates in government owned buildings, and also capped the state’s minimum wage.

The race has been neck and neck throughout the campaign, with HB2 at the center of it. Cooper opposes the law and has refused to defend it.

“The process is continuing in North Carolina,” McCrory told supporters Wednesday. “The election is not over.”

“We are confident that these results will be certified and that they will confirm victory,” Cooper told a crowd of his supporters on Wednesday.

Under state law, counties will complete a canvass of all their votes Nov. 18. Also under state law, candidates can ask for a recount when the election is decided by less than 0.5 percent of the total vote. With almost 5 million total ballots cast, the race as it stands now is subject to a recount.

The Attorney General race in the state is in a similar position, as Democrat Josh Stein has declared victory over Republican Buck Newton, who is not conceding. He too is waiting for all provisional ballots to be counted.

Newton made headlines when, speaking at a pro-HB2 rally he encouraged supporters to “Keep North Carolina straight.”

North Carolina also voted for Donald Trump and Republican Senator Richard Burr in close races.

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