A Republican candidate for a seat on the North Carolina Supreme Court in November's election conceded defeat on Wednesday, ending his legal efforts to have thousands of ballots thrown out six months after the final votes were cast.

Griffin’s concession puts to bed a contentious and chaotic saga in NC politics, one that has raised substantial questions about democracy and may impact the state’s elections for years to come.

The Republican candidate for North Carolina's state Supreme Court on Wednesday ended his six-month effort to overturn the election result against a Democrat.