Cooper calls to make N.C. the “shining beacon” in the south after McCrory concedes election

Madeline Gray—North State Journal
Democratic candidate for North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper responds as crowds of Hillary Clinton supporters cheer for him during a midnight rally at N.C. State's Reynolds Coliseum on Monday

RALEIGH — Governor-elect Roy Cooper released the following statement on Twitter after Governor Pat McCrory conceded the election on Monday, almost four weeks after the election.Governor-Elect Roy Cooper released the following statement on Governor Pat McCrory’s concession: pic.twitter.com/2nKjCaYY7w— Roy Cooper (@RoyCooperNC) December 5, 2016
Cooper’s campaign set up transition operations shortly after the November 8 election. The transition website offers information on applying for employment within the Cooper administration.The Republican incumbent last month had requested a statewide recount as results initially showed him trailing Cooper by less than 10,000 votes. McCrory’s campaign also challenged the validity of hundreds of votes it said may have been cast by felons and dead people.But in a video message issued by the governor’s office, McCrory said Cooper had won “the closest North Carolina governor’s race in modern history.””Despite continued questions that should be answered regarding the voting process, I personally believe that the majority of our citizens have spoken,” said McCrory, who sat on a couch with a Christmas tree in the background in the video.Cooper, the state’s attorney general, declared victory on election night. The race marks the only governorship picked up by Democrats nationally, while Republicans added governor seats in New Hampshire, Missouri and Vermont.