Morning Digest: GOP finally ends push to overturn Supreme Court race won by Democrat

The decision is a win for democracy—and boosts Democrats' chances of reclaiming the court

North Carolina Supreme Court Justice Allison Riggs (D) (credit: Allison Riggs campaign ad screenshot)

Leading Off

NC Supreme Court

Republican Jefferson Griffin finally abandoned his effort to overturn the outcome of last year's election for the North Carolina Supreme Court, conceding the race to Democratic incumbent Allison Riggs on Wednesday after a federal judge ruled in her favor earlier in the week.

Morning Digest: Federal judge tells North Carolina to certify Democrat as Supreme Court winner

Griffin's decision means that the court's composition will remain unchanged, with five Republicans and two Democrats. That in turn strengthens Democratic chances of retaking control of the court in 2028, when three Republican justices will go before voters.

First, though, they must defend the seat held by the court's only other Democrat, Anita Earls, who is up for election next year. Earls has already drawn an opponent in Republican state Rep. Sarah Stevens, who led the effort to pass the state's 12-week abortion ban in 2023 and promised to be a "conservative voice" on the bench.

Griffin's attack on November's election results—and the willingness of Republican judges to entertain it—shows just how high the stakes will be in these upcoming contests.

At the same time, the unwavering response of Riggs and her allies demonstrates how critical it is for supporters of democracy to combat attempts at subversion every step of the way. Her triumph sends a powerful message to those who question whether it's worth fighting the rising tide of autocracy, and whether it's possible to prevail. Riggs' unequivocal answer to both questions is "yes."

How we got here is instructive. Even though Riggs had been confirmed as the winner in three separate counts—the initial tally, a statewide recount by machine, and a partial recount by hand—Griffin sought to nullify her 734-vote victory.

His approach was particularly pernicious: Griffin challenged more than 60,000 votes that, as election officials confirmed, were cast according to the rules as they stood in November. Griffin wanted those votes tossed based on rules he felt should have been in place—but were not—and he waited until after Election Day to question the state's regulations.

The very idea is anathema to democracy. As U.S. District Court Judge Richard Myers, an appointee of Donald Trump, wrote in his Monday opinion, "You establish the rules before the game. You don't change them after the game is done."

Griffin, however, believed that fellow Republicans in the state courts would nonetheless take his side, and he was right. Two Republican members of the North Carolina Court of Appeals, on which Griffin himself serves, agreed that valid votes should be retroactively thrown out, as did four more Republicans on the Supreme Court.

Journalist Bryan Anderson, who has closely followed the legal proceedings, observed that "the damage to future North Carolina elections has already been done" by the judicial embrace of Griffin's theories. Losers of close races in the future, he notes, will now have an incentive to dispute the results in the hopes of finding a favorable audience before state judges—at least if they're Republicans.

But as Democrats argued from the outset, the very nature of Griffin's challenges threatened essential civil rights guaranteed by the federal Constitution, in particular the rights to due process and equal protection of the laws.

The entire conflict could have been resolved months earlier had the federal courts chosen to hear the matter rather than first let it play out in the state judiciary, but the right result was reached in the end. It's also telling that Griffin chose to abandon any further appeals, apparently believing that even the U.S. Supreme Court's far-right majority would not agree with him.

As Anderson says, this is not the last time we'll see a belated bid to overturn an election, whether in North Carolina or elsewhere. But defenders of democracy now know the score—and the law—is in their favor, and they'll remember that next time.

The Downballot Podcast

Democracy prevails in North Carolina

At long, long, long last, Republicans have abandoned their effort to overturn the election for North Carolina's Supreme Court—which took place all the way back in November. We've closely followed every twist and turn, so naturally we're exploring what it all means, both for Democrats and democracy, on this week's episode of The Downballot podcast.

And joining us as our guest is Matt Hildreth, executive director of Rural Organizing, who tells us how Democrats can actually succeed in rural areas—and the common pitfalls they face. Hildreth says that "the messenger matters more than the message" and emphasizes two huge issues of overriding importance to rural voters: housing and child care. He also explains how Donald Trump's tariffs, which are disproportionately impacting farmers, create an opening for Democrats this year and next.

The Downballot podcast comes out every Thursday morning everywhere you listen to podcasts. Click here to subscribe and to find a complete transcript!

Senate

GA-Sen

U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs Doug Collins hasn't been talked about much as a potential opponent for Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff, but NBC reports that some Republicans view the former congressman as a "potential unifying candidate." An unnamed party strategist, however, says it's "unlikely" Collins will run unless Donald Trump makes the ask.

IL-Sen

Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias didn't quite rule out running for the Senate on Tuesday, though he sounds unlikely.

When a reporter asked Giannoulias, who said he'd run for office next year, if he planned to seek reelection, the Democrat responded, "I imagine so." That response, Lee Enterprises' Brenden Moore noted, was not "a concrete yes."

But Giannoulias, who lost the 2010 race for Illinois' other Senate seat to Republican Mark Kirk, may have his sights set on a future campaign for another post. Giannoulias has been touted as a potential 2027 opponent for Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, a fellow Democrat.

MN-Sen

Secretary of State Steve Simon's team tells the Minnesota Star Tribune's Sydney Kashiwagi he's "not looking to run for Senate at this time." While that's not quite a no, it likely means that Simon will sit out what's already an expensive Democratic primary to replace retiring Democratic Sen. Tina Smith.

Simon was one of the few prominent Democrats in the state who still appeared to be considering a Senate bid, though there's one other name we're still waiting on. An advisor for state Rep. Melissa Hortman, the lower chamber's Democratic leader, told the National Journal in February that she would "consider what comes next personally and professionally" after the legislative session ends on May 19.

Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, meanwhile, publicized an endorsement Wednesday from St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter, who leads Minnesota's second-largest city. Flanagan faces Rep. Angie Craig and former state Senate Minority Leader Melisa Lopez Franzen in next year's Democratic primary.

Governors

AZ-Gov

Three prominent allies of Donald Trump quit wealthy businesswoman Karrin Taylor Robson's campaign for governor of Arizona this week over what Axios' Alex Isenstadt reports is frustration with how slow she was to advertise her endorsement from Trump.

The development comes a few weeks after Trump, who gave his backing to Robson last year, announced that he would also endorse Rep. Andy Biggs in the primary to take on Democratic incumbent Katie Hobbs.

Isenstadt says the trio—former Trump campaign manager Chris LaCivita, pollster Tony Fabrizio, and MAGA Inc. head Chris Grant—urged Robson to forestall a dual endorsement by going on TV months ago. They believed that if Robson heeded their advice and touted herself as Trump's chosen candidate, she could quickly establish herself as the frontrunner in the primary and make it more difficult for Biggs to gain traction.

But that's not what happened. Robson waited to launch her campaign until after Biggs got in and only began airing her first ad touting Trump's "complete and total endorsement" six days after that endorsement stopped being total. An unnamed strategist told Isenstadt that Robson had committed "basically the greatest self-own in GOP political history."

FL-Gov

State Sen. Jason Pizzo, who bolted the Democratic Party two weeks ago to become an independent, tells Politico he's still considering running for governor of Florida. Pizzo, writes reporter Kimberly Leonard, said he doubted any Democrat would emerge as a strong candidate, though he "indicated that if he were to be wrong then he'd reconsider his options."

KS-Gov

Kansas Democrats have yet to land a prominent candidate in next year's race to succeed Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly, who cannot seek a third term, but there are a few who could take up the task in this conservative state.

Lt. Gov. David Toland, who is the only other Democrat who holds statewide office, is arguably the most prominent potential contender, though he does not appear to have said anything publicly about his plans. Toland was Kelly's secretary of commerce in 2020 when she appointed him to fill the vacant No. 2 slot, and the Kelly-Toland ticket went on to win a tight 2022 race to keep their jobs.

The Kansas City Star also mentions three state senators from Johnson County as possible Democratic candidates: Minority Leader Dinah Sykes, Ethan Corson, and Cindy Holscher. The news was part of a larger piece discussing whether any candidates from Johnson County, a longtime Republican bastion that has become friendly to Democrats over the last decade, could be elected governor.

Sunflower State Democrats haven't won more than two consecutive elections for governor since 1972, when Robert Docking won his fourth and final two-year term. Kansas voters that year also approved an amendment extending terms to four years, and neither party has won three gubernatorial elections in a row since.

Republicans hope this pattern will continue in 2026. Several are already running, but the state's last governor is making noises about joining the busy GOP primary for the job he held for less than a year. An unnamed advisor to Jeff Colyer told the Sunflower State Journal last week that Colyer was "on pace for an announcement" about a comeback bid.

Colyer was elevated from the lieutenant governorship to the top job in 2018 when Gov. Sam Brownback resigned to take a post in the Trump administration, but he lost that year's primary to Trump-backed Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach by 343 votes.

Colyer, who watched from the sidelines as Kelly defeated Kobach, launched a campaign against her in 2021. However, he dropped out months later due to a diagnosis of prostate cancer.

Insurance Commissioner Vicki Schmidt, meanwhile, told WIBW this week that she was also considering running for governor. Former Kansas City Royals General Manager Dayton Moore, who first expressed interest in February, also recently informed the podcast "Baseball Isn't Boring" that he's still looking at the contest.

ME-Gov

Former Speaker Hannah Pingree doesn't appear to have publicly expressed interest in running for governor, but the Bangor Daily News' Michael Shepherd writes that she's "widely expected" to seek the Democratic nomination. Pingree, the daughter of Rep. Chellie Pingree, has served in Gov. Janet Mills' cabinet since 2019.

Shepherd also identifies businessman Dan Kleban as a possible Democratic candidate to succeed Mills, who cannot seek a third term next year. This is the first time we've heard Kleban, who is the co-founder of Maine Beer Company, mentioned as a potential contender.

On the Republican side, Shepherd says businessmen Shawn Moody and Ben Midgley could run. Moody, who lost the 2018 race to Mills 51-43, told the Q-Point podcast in March that he was "thinking about" another try. Midgley, by contrast, doesn't seem to have said anything about his plans.

MN-Gov

Businessman Kendall Qualls told KSTP on Tuesday that he'd challenge Democratic Gov. Tim Walz next year. Qualls, a former healthcare executive who would be Minnesota's first Black governor, is also the first Republican to enter the race.

Qualls' first run for office resulted in a double-digit loss to Democratic Rep. Dean Phillips, but he soon set his sights higher. His 2022 campaign for governor, however, ended after he lost the state GOP endorsement to former state Sen. Scott Jensen and decided not to continue to the primary. Jensen ultimately fell to Walz 52-45.

Jensen is one of several Republicans who are thinking about challenging Walz, though the governor has not yet announced if he'll seek another term. Walz did, though, tell the Minnesota Star Tribune last month he was raising money for a third campaign to keep his job.

However, while Walz added that he plans to run if "nothing changes," his comments haven't quieted speculation that he could ultimately step aside. Star Tribune reporter Sydney Kashiwagi writes that Secretary of State Steve Simon is interested in seeking the Democratic nomination for governor if Walz doesn't.

NY-Gov, NY-17

Donald Trump fired off a social media post on Tuesday night giving New York Rep. Mike Lawler his "Complete and Total Endorsement" … for reelection to the House. Fellow Rep. Elise Stefanik, who like Lawler is considering running for governor, unsubtly reposted Trump's message about the great job Lawler is doing in his current job.

Lawler's team responded by saying he was "grateful for the President's support," though the congressman probably used a different adjective in private. The statement also reiterated that Lawler would decide next month if he'd challenge Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul or seek reelection to his swingy 17th District.

House

CA-40

Paula Swift, who runs a consulting firm, announced Wednesday that she would challenge GOP Rep. Young Kim as a Democrat in California's 40th District. Swift, who does not appear to have run for office before, joins four other Democrats in next year's top-two primary for this constituency in eastern Orange County.

CO-08

State Treasurer Dave Young told a local Democratic gathering on Saturday that he was considering challenging Republican Rep. Gabe Evans in Colorado's swingy 8th District.

This is the first time that Young has confirmed that he's interested in running for a constituency that Donald Trump, according to calculations by The Downballot, carried 50-48. The treasurer would face former Democratic Rep. Yadira Caraveo, who narrowly lost to Evans last year, and state Rep. Manny Rutinel in the primary.

IL-02

State Sen. Robert Peters said Tuesday that he was considering running to succeed Rep. Robin Kelly, a fellow Democrat who announced her campaign for the Senate hours earlier, in the safely blue 2nd District. Peters wrote that he would say more "soon" about his interest in this constituency, which extends from the southern Chicago area down into more rural parts of the state.

Politico previously reported last week that Cook County Board Commissioner Donna Miller was also looking at a bid to replace Kelly. The Chicago Tribune further mentions state Sen. Napoleon Harris as a possibility. Harris initially ran in the 2013 special election for this seat, but he dropped out before the primary and endorsed Kelly.

IL-08

Democratic Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi's decision to run for the Senate has also set off an open-seat race to succeed him in Illinois' 8th District. This constituency, which is based in the western outer suburbs of Chicago, favored Kamala Harris 53-46, and the Democratic nominee will be favored to hold it.

Christ Kallas, whom Politico's Shia Kapos identifies as a "branding expert," didn't wait for Krishnamoorthi to announce his Senate bid before entering the Democratic primary last week. Kallas, though, is likely to face several better-established opponents.

Kapos wrote earlier this month that state Sen. Cristina Castro, businesswoman Sanjyot Dunung, businessman Neil Khot, state Rep. Anna Moeller, and Cook County Commissioner Kevin Morrison are all interested.

Kapos also reported that businessman Junaid Ahmed, who unsuccessfully challenged Krishnamoorthi in the 2022 primary, wants to "jump in." Ahmed raised over $1 million for his previous campaign—a credible sum that was still dwarfed by Krishnamoorthi's massive fundraising—and lost 70-30.

MA-08

Attorney Patrick Roath announced on Wednesday that he would challenge Rep. Stephen Lynch, who has spent much of his 24 years in Congress frustrating progressives, in next year's Democratic primary.

Morning Digest: 13-term Democrat could face primary after outburst at constituents

The winner of that battle will be heavily favored to hold Massachusetts' 8th District, a Boston-based constituency that Kamala Harris carried 62-36.

In his kickoff interview with the Boston Globe, Roath faulted the congressman for opposing the Affordable Care Act in 2010, and he also emphasized a much more recent transgression. The challenger blasted Lynch for his January vote for the Laken Riley Act, which empowers the Trump administration to deport undocumented immigrants who haven't been convicted of criminal charges.

Roath, who at 38 is more than three decades younger than the 70-year-old incumbent, also argued that "we need new leadership." But Roath, while emphasizing that Democrats need to "resist the Trump administration's efforts at every angle," said he cares much more about Lynch's record than his age.

Lynch did not have all-out resistance on his mind in February when an attendee at a protest against Donald Trump urged him to oppose the GOP agenda, saying it was "in the best interests of our country and our democracy."

"I get to decide that. I get to decide that," the irritated congressman snapped back. "I get to decide that. I'm elected. I get to decide that. You wanna decide that? You need to run for Congress, okay? I get to decide that."

If Lynch was daring someone to challenge him, Roath just answered the call.

The congressman's detractors, however, were unhappy to learn last week that he had been elevated to the post of interim ranking member on the Oversight Committee, which is the lower chamber's main investigatory panel, after Virginia Rep. Gerry Connolly stepped aside for health reasons. Lynch has announced he'll run to keep his spot as the committee's top Democrat, though several younger members are challenging him for that position.

The Bay State congressman hasn't faced a serious intraparty challenge at home since he won his primary in 2020 by a 66-33 spread—a margin that was simultaneously not close but also not dominant for an incumbent.

Lynch hasn't needed to spend much money to defend himself in more recent years, allowing him to finish the month of March with $1.1 million in the bank. The congressman, though, raised just $44,000 during the first quarter of this year.

SC-06

Democratic Rep. Jim Clyburn told Bloomberg he would decide over the winter holidays whether he'd seek another term in South Carolina's 6th District, a safely blue seat he first won in 1992. Clyburn, who will be 86 on Election Day, sounded unlikely to retire when he spoke with the Wall Street Journal earlier this month, though he did not commit to running again.

VA-11

State Sen. Stella Pekarsky announced Wednesday that she was running to succeed retiring Rep. Gerry Connolly, a fellow Virginia Democrat, in the safely blue 11th District. Pekarsky launched her campaign one day after Fairfax County Supervisor James Walkinshaw entered the race with Connolly's endorsement.

Pekarsky was elected to the county's School Board in 2019, and she set her sights higher in 2023 when she waged a primary campaign against veteran state Sen. George Barker. Their duel was one of several expensive Democratic contests that year that pitted the powerful utility company Dominion Energy, which supported Barker, against Pekarsky's allies at the environmental group Clean Virginia.

Pekarsky defeated Barker, who had represented almost none of the redrawn district where he was seeking reelection in, 52-48, and she easily won in the fall.

Ballot Measures

FL Ballot

Organizers seeking to expand Medicaid in Florida filed a lawsuit this week challenging a new law passed by the Republican-controlled legislature that would make it more difficult to place constitutional amendments on the ballot.

The bill, which Gov. Ron DeSantis signed last week, caps how many signatures a person can gather if they're not registered with the state. Anyone else who collects more than 25 signatures from Floridians outside their immediate family could face fines or even criminal charges.

The new legislation also requires the state's "election police" to investigate ballot initiative campaigns if officials determine that more than 25% of their signatures are invalid. A voting rights activist told Bolts, "Even the best-run campaign isn't going to meet the standards they are setting."

The Sunshine State already requires that proposed amendments receive at least 60% of the vote instead of the simple majority that most states mandate. That high threshold came into play last year when proposals to protect abortion rights and legalize recreational marijuana both received more than 55% but still fell short of the required supermajority.

Democrats in the legislature argued that the GOP passed its new law to avoid any further near-misses. Florida Decides Healthcare, which is trying to get Medicaid expansion on next year's ballot, also predicted that the bill would "impose an extended moratorium on its petition circulation activities, severely impacting or eliminating the ability to circulate petitions and gather sufficient support."

However, there was one part of the new law that members of the Democratic minority supported. The legislation bars public money from being used to advocate for or against amendments, a ban that comes after the DeSantis administration spent millions to thwart both the abortion and marijuana amendments last year.

Mayors & County Leaders

Cincinnati, OH Mayor

Democratic Mayor Aftab Pureval pulled in a dominant 83% of the vote in Tuesday's officially nonpartisan primary, while pastor Cory Bowman outpaced a fellow Republican 13-5 for the second spot in the November general election. Bowman's longshot campaign to lead heavily Democratic Cincinnati attracted outsized attention because he happens to be the half-brother of JD Vance.

Because Cincinnati requires a second round of voting no matter what, Pureval and Bowman will face off again this fall in an election that's unlikely to be much more competitive than the first round. It remains to be seen if Bowman, who was interviewed by national outlets like Newsmax, gets invited back on the right-wing media circuit.

Omaha, NE Mayor

Democrat John Ewing has received a major endorsement from former state Sen. Mike McDonnell, a Democrat-turned-Republican who took third place in last month's officially nonpartisan primary for mayor of Omaha. Ewing, who is the treasurer of Douglas County, is campaigning to deny Republican incumbent Jean Stothert a fourth term in Tuesday's general election.

McDonnell delivered his endorsement along with the Omaha Federation of Labor, which he runs. McDonnell told the Omaha World-Herald he was backing Ewing in his capacity as the labor organization's leader and not "as former candidate for mayor Mike McDonnell," saying his two roles put him in "a unique situation."

Ewing, though, is welcoming McDonnell's backing no matter how it might have manifested itself. Stothert led Ewing by a small 36-33 margin in the first round, while McDonnell snagged a crucial 20% of the vote.

Stothert also recently received a cross-party endorsement from a different former rival, though one she dispatched all the way back in 2017. Former state Sen. Heath Mello, a Democrat who heads the Greater Omaha Chamber, said he and his group were supporting the incumbent. Stothert beat Mello, who had described himself as "pro-life," 53-47 eight years ago.

The mayor ended last month with a wide $260,000 to $50,000 cash lead over Ewing. Stothert only narrowly outraised Ewing in April, but she had brought in considerably more money earlier in the race.

Morning Digest: Why this Democrat-turned-Republican is challenging a GOP incumbent

Other Races

GA-LG, GA-Gov

Democratic state Sen. Josh McLaurin announced Monday that he would run for lieutenant governor of Georgia, a powerful post responsible for setting much of the state Senate's agenda. McLaurin, who roomed with JD Vance at Yale Law School, is the first major candidate from either party to join the race.

This office is likely to be open because Republican Lt. Gov. Burt Jones is all but certain to run for governor next year. While Jones has yet to announce a bid to replace termed-out Gov. Brian Kemp, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that he told a recent donor gathering that a kickoff will come in the "near future."

McLaurin used his launch to emphasize how the lieutenant governor plays a "unique role in state government of setting the tone for the Senate's business." Members of the upper chamber, however, could revoke many of the office's powers, and the GOP's aggressive gerrymander means that Republicans are almost certain to retain the ability to do so.

McLaurin, however, argued that a win would still represent a breakthrough for his party no matter what Republicans do. A victory, he explained, would prove "extremely useful for changing the tone of the Senate's business and shining more of a light on the extremist policies Republicans increasingly are passing."

Several Republicans are considering running as well, including state Sen. Blake Tillery, who filed paperwork last month. The AJC identifies three more state senators—President Pro Tem John Kennedy, Majority Leader Steve Gooch, and Greg Dolezal—as potential candidates. The paper additionally lists Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper, who is also eyeing the race for U.S. Senate, as a possibility.