logo
Hundreds rally in downtown Raleigh against Judge Jefferson Griffin

Hundreds rally in downtown Raleigh against Judge Jefferson Griffin

Yahoo17-02-2025
RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — Jefferson Griffin, the Republican candidate for North Carolina Supreme Court, faced opposition Monday as hundreds rallied in downtown Raleigh calling for him to concede the November election.
'We're here today because there's a sore loser named Jefferson Griffin who refuses to concede the race,' said Gino Nizzolillo with Common Cause NC, which helped organize the rally.
Two recounts have confirmed Democratic incumbent Allison Riggs as the winner by 734 votes. Griffin has since launched a months-long legal battle to throw out more than 60,000 votes he says were cast by ineligible voters.
One of those votes was cast by Dr. Amy Bryant, who said she was shocked to receive a flyer in her mailbox after the election.
'The idea that my vote could just be thrown out on absolutely baseless pretenses is just outrageous to me,' Bryant said.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Judge affirms NC Board of Elections decision in state Supreme Court race
'How could my name be on the list?' she said. 'I've voted in every single election since 2011 here in North Carolina.'
The case is now in the hands of the Wake County Superior Court.
Earlier this month, a Wake County Superior Court judge ruled the votes should be counted. Griffin is appealing the judge's decision.
In addition to calling for Griffin to concede, the rally's organizers said they want other lawmakers to hear voter concerns.
RELATED: Jefferson Griffin appeals Wake County judge's decision in NC Supreme Court race
'They're going to be up for re-election here in 2026, 2028, or may run for office again,' Nuzzolillo said. 'We need to make clear to them because they are political creatures the people of North Carolina are watching,
Monday's rally is one of dozens statewide. Organizers said they're going to keep speaking out until they feel their voices are heard.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Lake Placid Dem announces candidacy for 115th district assembly seat
Lake Placid Dem announces candidacy for 115th district assembly seat

Yahoo

time5 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

Lake Placid Dem announces candidacy for 115th district assembly seat

LAKE PLACID — A second Democratic candidate has announced their candidacy for the upcoming 115th assembly district special election. Bridie Farrell of Lake Placid announced her decision to seek the Democratic nomination Tuesday. 'Our economy isn't made of statistics or data. Our economy is made up of people — all of our people,' Farrell said in a press release. 'We are individual people with different priorities and needs. However, in union there is strength. In teamwork there is strength. In hard work there is strength. and together we will continue working towards a better North Country. I am committed to listening to our communities and making a meaningful impact by approaching each issue with creativity, empathy, focus, and tenacity.' The 115th district assembly seat is being vacated by long-time Assemblyman Billy Jones, the lone North Country Democratic state lawmaker who recently announced his decision to resign from office at the end of August. CANDIDATES Since then, Farrell is one of two Democrats to announce their candidacy. Michael Cashman, supervisor for the town of Plattsburgh, shared his intention to campaign for the Democratic nomination last week. On the Republican side, Andrea Dumas, village of Malone mayor and Franklin County Legislator, has received several endorsements from high-ranking Republicans to run but has yet to announce her official candidacy. As previously reported by the Press-Republican, there is no petition process for this election, according to David Souliere, Clinton County Republican Commissioner. Instead, it's a County Committee Chair nomination between the three chairs — Franklin, Clinton and Essex — on the Democratic and Republican side. Any nomination meeting cannot officially occur until Jones' vacancy, which is Aug. 31. FARRELL BACKGROUND The 115th Assembly District includes all of Clinton and Franklin Counties and part of Essex County, where Farrell resides. Farrell previously ran for Congress in NY-21 in 2022 before stepping aside when redistricting 'drastically reshaped the district,' her news release said. Her campaign plans to build on that experience. 'Assemblyman Billy Jones served the district for nine years and we will build on his success. We will ensure every community in this district has a seat at the table,' Farrell said. 'The North Country deserves leadership that listens to our families, neighbors, and communities. We need someone who isn't afraid to fight for what is right and always puts our district first.' Farrell was on the U.S. Short Track Speed Skating National Team and held three American Records. She celebrated her 16th birthday at her first of four Olympic Trials in the 1980 Miracle on Ice arena in Lake Placid. Her educational path took her from BOCES vocational school, where she earned her CCNA certification, to Adirondack Community College, and to the land-grant College of Human Ecology at Cornell University, where she studied public policy and healthcare economics. Farrell, an advocate on behalf of crime victims and survivors of abuse and exploitation, said she was also instrumental in the passage of New York's Child Victims Act and Adult Survivors Act. 'DESERVES A CHAMPION' 'Our community deserves a champion in the Assembly and beyond,' Farrell said. 'Neighbors, small business owners, and folks from every corner of our district and across New York are showing up because they believe we can get things done together.' According to Farrell's news release, her approach is 'straightforward: listen to people, then bring their voices to the table where decisions are made.' Farrell was later successful advancing comparable bills in Arizona, New Jersey, California and beyond, closing critical loopholes and promoting rights for victims of crime and abuse. 'Her experience pushing major legislation across the finish line in Albany, and around the country, stands out as an invaluable qualification in her bid for the state legislature,' the news release stated. 'The implications of this year's special election in the 115th District will extend beyond the state legislature as the future of New York's 21st Congressional District remains uncertain.' GRASSROOTS CAMPAIGN Farrell's first days as a candidate for Assembly have already brought in over $50,000 in grassroots contributions — a sign, she says, of the energy and commitment of the community. Farrell's campaign will be centered around increasing access to quality healthcare, affordable housing, and reliable broadband, strengthening support for farmers and agriculture, and bolstering the regional economy by creating jobs, supporting unions, and improving wages and benefits for workers. 'Successful fundraising is necessary for the way our current campaign system works,' Farrell said. 'More importantly, the enthusiasm of support by people across the district is energizing, and I'm ready to build on this momentum.' The date of the upcoming special election has not yet been announced, but is expected to coincide with the General Election on Nov. 4. A tour of the district and a series of kitchen table conversations with Farrell are expected to be announced in the coming weeks. Solve the daily Crossword

Leaving a top Trump administration post? The president may have an ambassadorship for you

time10 minutes ago

Leaving a top Trump administration post? The president may have an ambassadorship for you

WASHINGTON -- Diplomacy may be soft power, but in President Donald Trump's administration, it's also lately a soft landing. National security adviser Mike Waltz was nominated as United Nations ambassador after he mistakenly added a journalist to a Signal chat discussing military plans. Trump tapped IRS Commissioner Billy Long to be his ambassador to Iceland after Long contradicted the administration's messaging in his less than two months in the job. And Trump last weekend named State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce as deputy representative to the U.N. after she struggled to gel with Secretary of State Marco Rubio's close-knit team. The new appointments can be viewed as consolation prizes for leaving a high-profile post in the Trump administration following rocky tenures. But they also reflect the degree to which Trump is trying to keep his loyalists close, even if their earlier placements in the administration were ill-fitting. Breaking with the reality TV show that helped make Trump a household name, the Republican president is not telling his top appointees 'You're fired!' but instead offering them another way to stay in his administration. 'It's not like 'The Apprentice,'' said John Bolton, another former Trump national security adviser, who has since become a Trump critic. During his first White House tenure, Trump was new to politics, made many staffing picks based on others' recommendations and saw heavy staff turnover. Trump has stocked his second administration with proven boosters, which has meant fewer high-profile departures. Still, those leaving often are the subject of effusive praise and kept in Trump's political orbit, potentially preventing them from becoming critics who can criticize him on TV — something that didn't happen to a long list of former first-term officials. Ambassadors serve at the pleasure of the president, and Trump can nominate anyone he likes, though many ultimately require Senate confirmation. Typically, top ambassadorships are rewards for large donors. 'It is a tremendous honor to represent the United States as an ambassador — which is why these positions are highly coveted and reserved for the president's most loyal supporters," said White House spokesperson Anna Kelly. "Mike Waltz, Billy Long and Tammy Bruce are great patriots who believe strongly in the America First agenda, and the President trusts them fully to advance his foreign policy goals.' Waltz's days appeared numbered after The Atlantic editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg revealed in March that Waltz had added him to a private text chain on an encrypted messaging app that was used to discuss planning for a military operation against Houthi militants in Yemen. Trump initially expressed support for Waltz, downplaying the incident as 'a glitch.' Roughly five weeks later, the president announced Waltz would be leaving — but not for good. He portrayed the job change as a cause for celebration. 'From his time in uniform on the battlefield, in Congress and, as my National Security Advisor, Mike Waltz has worked hard to put our Nation's Interests first,' Trump posted in announcing Waltz's move on May 1. 'I know he will do the same in his new role.' Vice President JD Vance also pushed back on insinuations that Waltz had been ousted. 'The media wants to frame this as a firing. Donald Trump has fired a lot of people,' Vance said in an interview with Bret Baier of Fox News Channel. 'He doesn't give them Senate-confirmed appointments afterwards.' Bolton, who served as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations under President George W. Bush before becoming Trump's national security adviser in 2018, called it "a promotion to go in the other direction' — but not the way Waltz went. 'The lesson is, sometimes you do more good for yourself looking nice,' Bolton said of Trump's reassignments. Ironically, Bruce learned of Waltz's ouster from a reporter's question while she was conducting a press briefing. A former Fox News Channel contributor, Bruce is friendly with Trump and was a forceful advocate for his foreign policy. Over the course of her roughly six months as spokesperson, she reduced the frequency of State Department briefings with reporters from four or five days a week to two. But Bruce had also begun to frequently decline to respond to queries on the effectiveness, substantiveness or consistency of the administration's approaches to the Middle East, Russia's war in Ukraine and other global hotspots. She told reporters that special envoy Steve Witkoff 'is heading to the region now — to the Gaza area' but then had to concede that she'd not been told exactly where in the Middle East he was going. Trump nonetheless posted Saturday that Bruce did a 'fantastic job' at the State Department and would 'represent our Country brilliantly at the United Nations.' Former U.S. deputy U.N. ambassador Robert Wood, who served as deputy State Department spokesman during President George W. Bush's term and as acting spokesman during President Barack Obama's term, voiced skepticism that Bruce's new position was a move up. Wood later became the U.S. ambassador to the U.N. Conference on Disarmament through the rest of the Obama's tenure and all of the first Trump administration. 'Given the disdain in MAGA world for anything U.N., it's hard to imagine Tammy Bruce's nomination as U.S. Deputy Representative to the U.N. being seen as a promotion,' referring to Trump's 'Make America Great Again' movement. During her final State Department briefing on Tuesday, Bruce said Trump's announcing that he wanted her in a new role 'was a surprise,' but called the decision 'especially moving as it allows me to continue serving the State Department, to which I'm now quite attached.' Then there's Long, a former Republican Missouri congressman, who was the shortest-tenured IRS commissioner confirmed by the Senate since the position was created in 1862. He contradicted administration messaging on several occasions. Long said last month that the IRS' Direct File program would be eliminated. An IRS spokesperson later indicated that it wouldn't be, noting requirements in the tax and spending law Trump has championed. The Washington Post also reported that Long's IRS disagreed with the White House about sharing taxpayer data with immigration officials to help locate people in the U.S. illegally. After learning that Trump wanted him in Reykjavik, Long posted, 'Exciting times ahead!' White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt declined to say Tuesday why Long was removed as IRS chief and being deployed to Iceland. 'The president loves Billy Long, and he thinks he can serve the administration well in this position," she said. The soft landings aren't always heralded by Trump. Former television commentator Morgan Ortagus, who was a State Department spokesperson during Trump's first term, is now a special adviser to the United Nations after serving as deputy envoy to the Middle East under Witkoff. Trump foresaw that Ortagus might not be a good fit. He posted in January, while announcing her as Witkoff's deputy, that 'Morgan fought me for three years, but hopefully has learned her lesson." 'These things usually don't work out, but she has strong Republican support, and I'm not doing this for me, I'm doing it for them," Trump added. "Let's see what happens.' Ortagus lasted less than six months in the role.

UF to start using facial recognition at football games
UF to start using facial recognition at football games

Yahoo

time15 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

UF to start using facial recognition at football games

The story for football fans: Headed to a Gators game this season? The University of Florida is set to become the first school in the nation to let fans use their face as their ticket. The university's Athletic Association announced on Tuesday the launching of an express entry system that relies on facial recognition. The goal, athletic director Scott Stricklin said, is to allow people to 'spend less time in line and more time cheering on the Gators.' The program is voluntary, and requires fans to submit a photo of themselves to enter into the software program. The school and the program vendor said they will not share any biometric data with outside parties. Eventually, the system will grant access to all UF sporting events. Read more from MainStreet Daily News. Vouchers: Orange County schools are working to attract students back to the public education as growing numbers of families accept state-funded vouchers, the Orlando Sentinel reports. Teacher retention: A kindergarten teacher at Apopka Elementary is entering her 51st year working for Orange County schools, Spectrum 13 reports. Superintendents: Two finalists remain in the search for Manatee County's next superintendent, the Herald-Tribune reports. School board members: Flagler County school board chairperson Will Furry says God is calling him to run against U.S. Rep. Randy Fine in the Republican primary for Florida's 6th Congressional District, Florida Politics reports. • Sarasota County Republicans are calling for the resignation of school board member Tom Edwards over his job promoting diversity projects for a Pride organization, Florida Politics reports. Private schools: The Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Miami are experiencing an enrollment surge, WPLG reports. • A Broward County private school faces closure two days into the academic year after police told it to stop operating in a local park, WSVN reports. Pay raises: Florida A&M University insiders are anticipating faculty and staff raises in the near future, WFSU reports. Homelessness: Rising eviction rates in Florida are having negative effects on children's schooling, Bay News 9 reports. Cellphones: The Brevard County school board extended its ban on student cellphone use to include high schools, Florida Today reports. Bus routes: Some Leon County parents are raising worries about their children's safety as they travel to bus stops on routes the district changed to cope with driver vacancies, WCTV reports. Book reviews: The Collier, Lee and Charlotte county school districts have returned to their libraries the vast majority of books that were pulled for additional content review, WGCU reports. Attendance zones: The Polk County school board is preparing to redraw the boundaries for all its high schools, WTSP reports. Artificial intelligence: The Miami-Dade County school board is preparing district-wide guidelines for using AI in classrooms, WLRN reports. Don't miss a story. Here's a link from yesterday's roundup. Before you go ... So you think you bought some honey. Check this out.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store