Nearly a month after Election Day, Republican Governor Pat McCrory has conceded the race to Democrat Roy Cooper.
Usually concession speeches happen in ballrooms surrounded by a crowd. McCrory's took place on a couch in front of a Christmas tree with a camera rolling.
"During this wonderful season, it's also time to celebrate our democratic process and respect what I see to be the ultimate outcome of the closest North Carolina governor's race in modern history," he said.
Since the election, McCrory has raised concerns of voter fraud, called for a statewide recount, and settled for a partial one in Durham County.
"Despite continued questions that should be answered regarding the voting process, I personally believe that the majority of our citizens have spoken and we now should do everything we can to support the 75th Governor of North Carolina, Roy Cooper," said McCrory.
As the video went out, election officials in Durham County had gone through most of the 90,000 disputed votes and found only a handful were miscounted, but to Cooper's advantage. McCrory trailed Cooper by 10,263 votes, well beyond the threshold to demand a statewide recount.
Shortly after, Cooper released a statement thanking McCrory for his service to the state.
"While this was a divisive election season, I know still that there is more that unites us than divides us," wrote Cooper.
Cooper will take office with Republican supermajorities in both the house and senate.
House Democratic Leader Larry Hall expects Cooper's administration to bring a "sea change of respect."
"There are ways that you can implement policies that will be respectful and considerate of people and their rights verses implementing them in ways that are disrespectful and exclusionary of people's rights," says Hall.
January's long session will be a test for Cooper says political science professor Michael Bitzer of Catawba College.
"Do I try and work with this Republican legislature that can basically do whatever they want, or am I going to have to be the symbolic opposition and put forward my ideas and proposals and probably not get a lot of things done that I want to get done," says Bitzer.
Cooper will host a victory rally on the campus of NC State in Raleigh Tuesday tonight. He takes office January 7th.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvNSmAZs_Hc&feature=youtu.be
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