Republican governor who lost election by at least 6,000 votes still refusing to concede

Pat McCrory is a champion of the controversial anti-LGBT 'bathroom law'

McCrory is claiming voter fraud (Getty)

Republican Governor of North Carolina Pat McCrory – who according to a preliminary count lost out to Democrat Roy Cooper by at least 6,000 votes two weeks ago – is refusing to accept the result of the election, claiming voter fraud.

Mr McCrory, a staunch conservative and champion of a controversial anti-LGBT "bathroom law", has demanded a recount and implored his supporters to help him finance it.

“With serious concerns of potential voter fraud emerging across the state, it is becoming more apparent that a thorough recount is one way the people of North Carolina can have confidence in the results, process and system,” Mr McCrory said in a letter to the election board.

But no evidence of any such fraud has yet surfaced.

The Cooper campaign said their candidate led by about 8,500 votes and that the winning margin is "growing daily as counties finalise election results”, campaign manager Trey Nix told the Wall Street Journal.

“We are confident that a recount will do nothing to change the fact that Roy Cooper has won this election.”

Mr Cooper is already calling himself governor-elect in press releases and has set up a website to collect resumes for leadership positions in his administration.

But McCrory has repeatedly allegd voter fraud, filing complaints in about half of the state's 100 counties.

Critics say Mr Crory is attempting to undermine the results of the election in the hope of prompting the Republican-controlled General Assembly to intervene and settle the dispute in his favour.