The Democratic fighter we need: Allison Riggs details GOP’s attempt to steal her Supreme Court win.

A fighting NC Supreme Court Justice, Allison Riggs, detailed her winning fight against Republicans who attempted to steal the election she won by invalidating the votes of many.

Allison Riggs, NC Supreme Court Justice

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Summary

Justice Allison Riggs successfully defended her razor-thin 734-vote victory in the North Carolina Supreme Court race against an unprecedented Republican attempt to disenfranchise 68,000 voters. She spoke to Politics Done Right at Netroots Nation 2025. Riggs, who won her election out of 5.5 million votes cast, faced a six-month legal battle when her opponent, Jefferson Griffin, filed lawsuits seeking to invalidate tens of thousands of ballots after losing two independent recounts. The challenge represents a troubling escalation of election denial tactics that threaten democratic norms and voter rights across America.

• Grassroots mobilization proved decisive: Riggs credits her victory to extensive grassroots organizing that helped identify and contact voters nationwide, including reaching a military voter in Antarctica to cure his ballot.
• Legal costs mounted significantly: The post-election legal defense required nearly $2 million in additional spending while fighting challenges in both state and federal courts.
• Targeted voter suppression strategy: Griffin’s challenge focused on 65,000 ballots, primarily from Democratic-leaning counties, many from military and overseas voters who didn’t provide photo ID copies.
• Federal intervention protected voting rights: Federal courts ultimately ruled that Griffin and state courts cannot change election rules after voting is over, citing violations of the 14th Amendment equal protection rights.
• Griffin’s hypocrisy exposed: Griffin himself used the same overseas voting method he sought to invalidate when he voted in 2019 and 2020, undermining his legal challenge’s credibility.

Riggs’s victory demonstrates how progressive organizing and legal advocacy can successfully counter Republican attempts to overturn election results they dislike. Her fight reveals the critical importance of protecting voting rights for all Americans, especially military personnel and overseas citizens who serve our nation abroad. The case exposes the Republican Party’s willingness to disenfranchise thousands of legitimate voters to gain political power, showing that election denial has evolved from rhetoric into direct legal attacks on democracy itself.

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Justice Allison Riggs’s successful defense of her North Carolina Supreme Court victory represents far more than one judge protecting her seat – it exemplifies the progressive movement’s growing capacity to counter authoritarian tactics and defend democratic institutions against Republican assault. Her 734-vote victory out of 5.5 million cast became a six-month battle that exposed the GOP’s willingness to disenfranchise tens of thousands of voters to overturn election results they dislike.

The Republican strategy revealed itself as both cynical and hypocritical. After Jefferson Griffin lost two independent recounts, he filed lawsuits seeking to disenfranchise 68,000 North Carolina voters, targeting primarily military and overseas ballots from Democratic-leaning counties. The challenge demonstrated how Republicans have moved beyond election denial rhetoric into direct legal attacks on voting rights. Griffin’s strategy focused on ballots from voters who didn’t show photo ID copies, despite state Board of Elections rules that didn’t require photo ID for overseas ballots.

The hypocrisy became glaring when investigations revealed that Griffin himself used the same overseas voting method he sought to invalidate when he voted in 2019 and 2020. This contradiction undermined his legal challenge’s credibility while exposing the partisan nature of Republican voter suppression efforts. The GOP’s willingness to attack the very voting methods their own candidates used demonstrates their abandonment of principled governance in favor of power acquisition at any cost.

Riggs’s defense strategy showcased the power of progressive organizing and legal advocacy working in tandem. While spending nearly $2 million on legal bills, she simultaneously coordinated with grassroots organizers to identify and contact the 68,000 targeted voters. This massive mobilization effort reached across the country and around the world, including contacting a military voter stationed in Antarctica to cure his ballot. The campaign demonstrated how progressive movements can leverage both institutional and grassroots power to protect democratic rights.

The legal victory came through federal court intervention, where judges ruled that Griffin and state courts cannot change election rules after voting is over, citing violations of 14th Amendment equal protection rights. This federal protection proved essential as Republican-controlled state courts initially showed willingness to entertain Griffin’s challenges. The case illustrates how progressive legal strategies must increasingly rely on federal protections against state-level Republican attacks on voting rights.

Riggs’s background as a civil rights litigator who previously argued against voter suppression and gerrymandering before the U.S. Supreme Court positioned her uniquely to understand the stakes. Her West Virginia roots, growing up in blue-collar mining communities, shaped her populist approach to collective organizing and fighting for working-class interests. This background informed her understanding that protecting voting rights requires both legal expertise and grassroots mobilization.

The broader implications extend well beyond North Carolina. Griffin’s challenge used theories that election denial networks had previously deemed too extreme, showing how Republican attacks on democracy continue escalating. The case reveals how state court elections have become critical battlegrounds where Republicans attempt to install judges willing to overturn future election results. Riggs’s victory preserves a crucial check on GOP power in a state where Republicans control the legislature and have systematically stripped powers from the Democratic governor.

The successful defense required unprecedented mobilization across progressive networks. Organizations nationwide contributed to identifying and contacting targeted voters, demonstrating the power of collective action against voter suppression. This coordinated response created a template for defending democracy against similar attacks in other states. The campaign’s success shows that when progressives organize effectively across legal, grassroots, and digital organizing spheres, they can counter even well-funded Republican attempts to steal elections.

Riggs’s victory also highlights the importance of judicial elections in maintaining democratic governance. Her retention alongside efforts to protect Justice Anita Earls’s 2026 reelection creates possibilities for progressives to regain control of the North Carolina Supreme Court by 2028. This long-term strategic thinking demonstrates how progressive movements must simultaneously defend current victories while building toward future power.

The case ultimately exposed fundamental differences between progressive and conservative approaches to democracy. While Republicans sought to disenfranchise thousands of legitimate voters to overturn an election result, progressives mobilized to ensure every vote counted. This contrast reveals the stakes in contemporary American politics: whether democracy will protect all citizens’ rights or whether Republican authoritarianism will succeed in restricting voting access to maintain power.

Riggs’s fight demonstrates that progressive victories require both institutional expertise and grassroots energy. Her willingness to spend significant resources defending democracy while coordinating with organizers across the country created a model for future election defense efforts. As she continues working toward Justice Earls’s reelection and eventual progressive control of the court, her approach shows how sustained organizing can counter Republican attempts to undermine democratic institutions. The victory proves that when progressives fight with strategic coordination and unwavering determination, they can successfully defend democracy against authoritarian assault.