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Thousands attend NC rallies against losing GOP candidate Jefferson Griffin’s scheme to toss 66,000 votes, while top NC Republican rebukes Griffin’s ploy

Over the President’s Day holiday weekend, mass “The People v. Griffin” rallies coincided with criticism from the state’s leading Republican politician as the most compelling signs yet of overwhelming opposition to Griffin’s attempt to toss out over 66,000 lawful ballots and overturn the NC Supreme Court election. 

 

NORTH CAROLINA – For three straight days over the long President’s Day weekend, in small towns and big cities from the mountains to the coast, thousands of North Carolinians rallied to protest GOP state Supreme Court candidate Jefferson Griffin’s prolonged legal bid to toss tens of thousands of eligible votes and reverse his losing election result.

In the aftermath of these mass rallies – dubbed “The People vs. Griffin” – calling on political leaders to join their constituents and oppose Griffin’s bid, North Carolina’s Republican Senate Leader Phil Berger did just that. On Wednesday, the state’s most powerful GOP politician told reporters that “[t]he equities are with the voters” when it comes to the bulk of Griffin’s voter challenges, a public rebuke of his fellow Republican.

Sen. Berger’s comments come on the heels of similar pushback against Griffin from former GOP Charlotte mayor Richard Vinroot, a television ad associated with former Republican Governor Pat McCrory featuring condemnation from a 2024 Republican Griffin voter, and a dissent by conservative state Supreme Court Justice Richard Dietz, who called Griffin’s litigation against voters “meritless.”

While Sen. Berger appeared more supportive of Jefferson Griffin’s challenges to a smaller subset of approximately 5,500 voters, specifically thousands of active-duty military personnel serving abroad who find themselves along with overseas voters on Griffin’s list, former military leaders have joined Vinroot, McCrory, and Dietz to fire back.

“Eligible service members, like all citizens, have a constitutionally-protected right to vote…We should have our troops’ backs the way they have ours,” wrote former Secretary of the Army Louis Caldera, General (ret.) Carlton Fulford, U.S. Marine Corps, Admiral (ret.) Charles “Steve” Abbot, U.S. Navy and former Secretary of the Air Force Deborah Lee James.

Speakers at this past weekend’s nonpartisan rallies featured these same types of challenged voters, making their voices heard to pressure more of North Carolina leaders to speak out and demand Griffin concede.

“Let’s be very clear. If we let this happen here, this is exactly what every corrupt politician will try to do when they lose,” said Jenna Marrocco, a Wake County voter unjustly challenged by Griffin, speaking at the rally in Raleigh on Monday. “We’re here today because we believe in our right to vote. We believe in fair elections and we’re not going to let anyone tell us that our voices don’t matter, because they do.”

“I would like to ask Judge Griffin: Why are you not fact-checking your own case and your own evidence?” said Alexia Chavis, a Guilford County voter and a student at NC A&T State University unjustly challenged by Griffin, speaking at the Greensboro rally on Saturday. “Judge Griffin, your voter challenge is not only very telling of your character and your views toward democracy, it is also very unsettling because if you are actively attempting to silence my voice – along with the voices of 60,000 voters across this state – at the very least, make sure that you have all of your facts together.”

Organized by local residents and a broad coalition of organizations and groups led by Common Cause North Carolina, the weekend’s massive rallies put in harsh relief the true scope of Griffin’s tens of thousands of voter challenges.

“The fact that over 5,500 outraged and energized people came to these rallies not only shows just how many voters could be harmed by Griffin’s challenges but also that North Carolinians won’t be silent when a failed candidate threatens the votes of our families, friends, and neighbors,” said Gino Nuzzolillo, Campaigns Manager with Common Cause North Carolina. “As the courts continue to take up Griffin’s case, the message from the court of public opinion is clear: it’s time for this sore loser to end his outrageous attack on voters, respect the outcome of our elections, and move on.”

Multiple recounts and careful election audits confirmed that Democratic Justice Allison Riggs beat Griffin by 734 votes in 2024 to retain her seat on the NC Supreme Court. Due to Griffin’s litigation, filed after the recounts were completed, three months later the Griffin/Riggs contest remains the only contested statewide race in the country.

More rallies opposing Griffin’s legal challenges are expected throughout the month. A full list of events is at ccnc.me/griffin.

The People v. Griffin rallies are sponsored by a diverse array of local and statewide community organizations, including: Common Cause NC, NC State AFL-CIO, Carolina Federation, ACLU of North Carolina, Emancipate NC, Democracy NC, NC For the People, NC NAACP, Repairers of the Breach, NC Poor People’s Campaign, NC Council of Churches, Red Wine & Blue, League of Women Voters of North Carolina, Unitarian Universalist Justice Ministry of North Carolina, and Carolina Jews for Justice.

Full video of The People vs. Griffin rally at the NC Capitol in Raleigh can be seen here. A sampling of photos from the rallies can be found here. Members of the media are free to use these images or videos in their stories with attribution to “Common Cause North Carolina.”

Media coverage of The People vs. Griffin rallies includes:

Raleigh: 

Charlotte:

Asheville:

Fayetteville:

Greensboro:

Greenville:

Elizabeth City: 

Jacksonville:

Salisbury:

Common Cause NC is a nonpartisan grassroots organization dedicated to upholding the core values of American democracy. We work to create open, honest and accountable government that serves the public interest; promote equal rights, opportunity and representation for all; and empower all people to make their voices heard in the political process. Online: CommonCauseNC.org