Morning Digest: N.C. Democrats warn Republicans could overturn Supreme Court race after second recount confirms GOP loss

"Do I have fear? Absolutely," says state Democratic chair

North Carolina Supreme Court Justice Allison Riggs (D) (credit: Allison Riggs Facebook)

Leading Off

NC Supreme Court

A second recount confirmed Democrat Allison Riggs as the winner of last month's closely contested race for the North Carolina Supreme Court on Tuesday, but Republican Jefferson Griffin is continuing to challenge the outcome—and Democrats are warning that Riggs' Republican colleagues on the court could try to throw the race to her opponent.

On election night, Riggs trailed by approximately 10,000 votes, but after officials adjudicated provisional ballots, she emerged as the winner with a lead of 734 votes out of more than 5.5 million cast statewide. The tight result allowed Griffin to request a machine recount, which candidates are entitled to under state law when the margin is less than 0.5%.

That review, however, did not change the gap between the two rivals by a single vote. While many of the state's 100 counties found small shifts for one or both candidates, in the end, both contenders lost exactly 110 votes each, leaving the gap between them untouched.

Griffin then sought another recount under which officials visually inspected all ballots in a random sample of 3% of precincts in each county. Had Griffin netted at least 35 votes in this partial "hand-to-eye" recount, a manual review of all ballots statewide would have followed.

But instead, it was Riggs who gained, netting an additional 14 votes. Immediately after the results of the second recount were announced, Riggs' campaign called on Griffin to concede, but a quick resolution is unlikely.

Last month, Griffin filed election protests with the state Board of Elections challenging ballots cast by more than 60,000 voters across the state. Those challenges, which will be adjudicated starting today, disproportionately target Black voters and younger voters, according to an analysis by the Raleigh News & Observer. They also include, among others, votes cast by Riggs' mother and father.

Democrats responded by filing a federal lawsuit arguing that Griffin's large-scale protests violate the U.S. Constitution and federal law. In their suit, they've asked that the court in effect bar officials from discarding votes on the basis of Griffin's claims.

But it's the state courts that Democrats are most concerned about. If the Board of Elections rules against him, Griffin can challenge any such determination before a state court in Wake County, home of the capital of Raleigh. From there, any appeals could ultimately wind up before the state Supreme Court, where Republicans hold a 5-2 majority and have shown no hesitation in using their advantage to advance partisan GOP aims.

Democrats raised the alarm about the high court baselessly intervening to help Griffin at a press conference on Tuesday.

"Do I have fear? Absolutely," said state party chair Anderson Clayton. "What's happening in North Carolina is sinister, and it will have a chilling effect on our democracy and our country if they're able to get away with what they're trying to achieve."

Senate

NH-Sen

Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen indicated to Semafor's Burgess Everett in a recent interview that she has yet to decide whether she'll see a fourth term in 2026, when she will turn 79. She did not offer a timetable for any announcement.

Governors

FL-Gov, FL-01

The far-right cable channel One America News Network has hired Matt Gaetz to anchor a new nightly talk show, a position that does not require confirmation by the Senate. It remains to be seen whether Gaetz's new gig means he won't be running for governor in 2026, or if he'll continue to flirt with a bid to succeed termed-out incumbent Ron DeSantis.

We probably can stop wondering, though, whether Gaetz might still try to rescind his preemptive resignation and reclaim his seat in Congress next month. On the same day the news of Gaetz's on-air job broke, the ex-congressman also endorsed Florida CFO Jimmy Patronis in the upcoming special election to replace him in the 1st Congressional District, despite what NBC's Matt Dixon characterizes as a long history of bad blood between the two.

MI-Gov

Several Michigan Democrats say Pete Buttigieg has spoken with them about state politics over the last few months, and some of them tell the Detroit News that they believe the outgoing secretary of transportation is considering running for governor in 2026. This sentiment isn't universal, though, as other sources informed the paper that they think he's more interested in seeking the White House in 2028.

Buttigieg himself is remaining tightlipped about his plans in public, telling the paper he hasn't "made any decisions about my future."

House

CA-45

There's already chatter about possible Republican challengers to Democratic Rep.-elect Derek Tran in two years, with Politico's Melanie Mason identifying Orange County Supervisor Janet Nguyen as a "likely" foe. Nguyen, a former state lawmaker who won her current post last month, did not respond to Mason's inquiries about her plans.

Rep. Michelle Steel, who lost reelection to Tran by a tight 50.1-49.9 margin, also could try to regain the 45th District in two years. Steel only intensified speculation last month when she filed paperwork with the FEC to set up a new campaign committee―a move that came mere moments after Tran declared victory. The outgoing congresswoman's team likewise did not answer Mason's questions about her intentions.

But while it's possible Steel is already planning a comeback, her FEC filings may have more to do with resolving loose ends from her last campaign rather than laying groundwork for a future effort. Some defeated congressional candidates have taken similar steps even when they have no interest in running again.

In the spring of 2019, for instance, former Kansas Rep. Kevin Yoder filed for an apparent rematch against the Democrat who had just defeated him a few months earlier, Rep. Sharice Davids. No second campaign ensued, however.

Rather, Yoder was simply addressing a bookkeeping matter: A Yoder consultant explained that the FEC had flagged a recent refund from the landlord Yoder had used for his last campaign, requiring the ex-congressman to nominally declare his candidacy for 2020 in order to properly accept that reimbursement.

NJ-07

Democratic Sen. Andy Kim announced Monday that he'd hired former state Working Families Alliance leader Sue Altman as his new state director, but the New Jersey Globe's Joey Fox says the new job doesn't necessarily preclude Altman from seeking a rematch against GOP Rep. Tom Kean in two years.

Altman, Fox writes, has been thinking about waging a second campaign for New Jersey's 7th District in the month since her 52-46 defeat, and she still could run. Altman is likely to remain in Kim's office for at least the next several months, though, and Fox notes that other potential candidates could take advantage of her absence from the campaign trail to consolidate support for their efforts.

WI-03

Businesswoman Rebecca Cooke is considering waging another campaign against Republican Rep. Derrick Van Orden, she tells the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's Lawrence Andrea.

"I think when you see results like that in contrast to how Democrats did in other parts of the country, I think that we were doing something really right here," said Cooke, who lost to Van Orden by a tight 51-49 margin in Wisconsin's 3rd District. "I think we've built a really strong foundation in a district like this."

At least one prominent national Democrat hopes she'll go for it.

"It's up to her, but I'm a big fan of Rebecca Cooke," said California Rep. Pete Aguilar, who is the number-three Democrat in the House leadership.

Cooke, though, could face some familiar primary foes if she wages what would be her third campaign for this southwestern Wisconsin constituency. An unnamed source tells Andrea that state Sen. Brad Pfaff, who beat Cooke in 2022, is "keeping all his options open." Pfaff went on to lose to Van Orden 52-48 that fall, but he earned a new four-year term in the legislature last month.

Outgoing state Rep. Katrina Shankland, meanwhile, did not reply to Andrea's questions about her interest in another campaign. Shankland lost to Cooke 51-42 in the August primary.

Ballot Measures

AK Ballot

A recount of Alaska's Ballot Measure 2 completed on Monday confirmed that voters narrowly rejected a ballot measure to repeal the state's top-four primary and its use of ranked-choice voting for general elections. The updated results show Ballot Measure 2 losing by 743 votes, a tiny change from its 737-vote deficit going into the recount.

Mayors & County Leaders

Pittsburgh, PA Mayor

Allegheny County Controller Corey O'Connor announced Tuesday that he would challenge Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey in the May 20 Democratic primary, attacking the incumbent's handling of the city's finances, public safety, and homelessness.

Gainey became Steel City's first Black mayor following his 2021 primary victory over incumbent Bill Peduto, an accomplishment that marked the start of a strong streak for progressives in local elections. Most notably, Summer Lee won a U.S. House seat the following year with Gainey's endorsement, and the two backed Sara Innamorato's successful campaign for county executive in 2023.

O'Connor cuts a different profile as the son of former Mayor Bob O'Connor, who was elected in 2005 and died the following year. The younger O'Connor joined the City Council in 2011, "rarely cutting a controversial or bombastic path" during his 11 years of service, as PublicSource's Charlie Wolfson puts it. He was appointed country controller in 2022 and easily won a full term last year.

In launching his campaign, O'Connor specifically took Gainey to task for failing to fulfill his 2021 campaign pledge to get the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and other prominent nonprofits to pay higher property taxes, with O'Connor promising to make them "pay their fair share."

The challenger also reminded his audience that the man Gainey picked to serve as police chief, Larry Scirotto, resigned in October after his plan to work part-time as a college basketball referee fell apart under scrutiny. The mayor, who had secretly agreed to allow Scirotto to moonlight on the court, has yet to name a permanent replacement.

Gainey has, naturally, framed his tenure in a far more positive light. The incumbent launched his reelection campaign in September at the new Fern Hollow Bridge, which was constructed in 2022 after the old structure dramatically collapsed just weeks into his term.

Gainey used the venue to highlight how he'd responded to an "enormous challenge" early in his term and to say he'd complete "the job of building a city for all." He also asserted that the city was making meaningful progress in fighting crime and building affordable housing.

The intra-party battle between Gainey and O'Connor is all but certain to determine who serves as the city's mayor come next year: Dark-blue Pittsburgh last elected a Republican leader in 1929.

Prince George's County, MD Executive

The Prince George's County Council has set the dates for the special election to replace Sen.-elect Angela Alsobrooks as executive of Maryland's second-largest county, with primaries on March 4 and a general election on May 27. Candidates have until Dec. 20 to file.

The Democratic primary to lead this reliably blue community also grew by one when former Executive Rushern Baker announced on Tuesday that he'd run to regain the job he won in 2010 and was termed out of eight years later. Baker, who is Alsobrooks' immediate predecessor, unsuccessfully sought the Democratic nomination for governor in both 2018 and 2022.

He joins State's Attorney Aisha Braveboy and two members of the County Council, Calvin Hawkins and Jolene Ivey. Baker, WTOP's John Domen writes, is "close friends" with two of his rivals: Hawkins was a senior advisor to Baker during his last administration, while the former executive and Ivey are godparents to one another's children.