Outgoing Governor Says It’s “Very Unfair” He Lost Because Of House Bill 2
North Carolina Republican Gov. Pat McCrory, who was defeated in November after championing the state’s horrific anti-LGBT House Bill 2, leaves office today. He’ll be replaced by Democrat Roy Cooper, who’s pledged to repeal the law and will be sworn in just after midnight.Â
Not surprisingly, McCrory isn’t going quietly. Late Friday, he named several of his top aides to influential positions where they’ll continue to shape North Carolina’s future, the Associated Press reports. Also Friday, state Republican leaders filed a petition asking the U.S. Supreme Court to block elections ordered for 2017 after a federal court found 28 state House and Senate districts were illegal racial gerrymanders, according to BuzzFeed News.Â
In an exit interview with the AP, McCrory blamed Democrats for the General Assembly’s failure to repeal HB2 in December.Â
“There is so much political pressure — primarily from the left — not to get an agreement,†he said. “There are a lot of people who like this conflict to be ongoing. They’re raising money off of it. I was hoping for the best but not surprised that it broke down.â€
The governor’s office also released a video (above) featuring McCrory reflecting on his time in office. Asked about his biggest regrets, McCrory pointed to what he called “this manufactured crisis” over HB2, blaming Charlotte for starting the controversy by passing an LGBT-inclusive nondiscrimination ordinance.
“I wish I had been successful in convincing Charlotte not to start this masquerade of an issue that no doubt had an impact on my future election and on North Carolina in a very unfair way,” McCrory said. “No business, no sports league, no one should boycott something over such a manufactured social issue, and I’m sad that North Carolina was the target of a left-wing Washington group that made that happen.”Â
Here’s how Twitter is responding to McCrory’s departure:Â