SOUTHEASTERN N.C. — The state’s attorney general and Democratic candidate Josh Stein has claimed victory in the Tar Heel State as the 76th governor.
READ MORE: 2 candidates running for governor speak in Wilmington, one elicits protesters at GOP fundraiser
Stein will also be the first Jewish governor to serve North Carolinians. By press, with 60% of precincts reporting statewide, Stein had 53.87% of the vote. He beat out Lt. Governor Mark Robinson, who had fallen behind in polling in recent months by double digits; Robinson was bringing in 41.31% of the vote by press.
Stein, who has served as AG since 2017, will take over from Roy Cooper, who was term-limited. Stein previously was part of the N.C. Senate from 2009 to 2016.
He campaigned for the top state leader position on better teacher pay, protecting women’s healthcare and rights, particularly with the state’s Republican-enacted 12-week abortion law.
Stein’s successes as AG have included defending Medicaid expansion in the Supreme Court and supporting the Affordable Care Act, processing 11,841 rape kits on backlog to lead to perpetrator convictions, as well as suing major pharmaceutical companies resulting in at least a $1.5 billion payout statewide to combat opioid addiction in North Carolina.
Stein released a statement around 9:45 p.m., thanking his supporters for helping him reach victory and vowing to help all North Carolinians by investing in its people and building a safer and stronger state.
“Tonight, we resoundingly embraced a vision that’s optimistic, forward-looking, and welcoming – a vision that is about creating opportunity for everybody.
“We chose hope over hate. Competence over chaos. Decency over division. I ran for governor because I love our home state, and I believe in the promise of North Carolina:
“That where you come from should never limit how far you can go, that our kids and grandkids should enjoy a better and brighter future than we have, and that every North Carolinian should have a fair shot at success.”
Stein began outpacing Robinson in recent months after having closer margins in the spring. The gap grew in September after CNN broke a story that Robinson had made inflammatory posts on a porn website, calling himself “black Nazi,” admitting to watching women undress in locker rooms, while also posting he wished slavery would be reinstated. Robinson has denied the claims and filed a lawsuit to sue the news outlet.
His staff exited Robinson’s campaign after the story broke. As well, many Republican candidates distanced themselves from the lieutenant governor, with Robinson absent at both Trump and Vance rallies in Wilmington earlier this fall; this was despite Trump’s endorsement of the candidate. However, in recent weeks, Trump said he was unfamiliar with the race.
Robinson has always garnered headlines for controversial rhetoric and espousing conspiracy theories. In 2018 he posted on social media to downplay the Holocaust.
“This foolishness about Hitler disarming MILLIONS of Jews and then marching them off to concentration camps is a bunch of hogwash,” he wrote.
A year before, he insinuated he thought the moon landing and 9/11 were a hoax, and at a church meeting in July 2024 told the congregation that “some folks need killing.”
Robinson also conceded the race, saying in a news conference: “My head is still high. I ran a race where I did not have to lie or tell half-truths.”
He noted as lieutenant governor he would remain focused on improving “education and career training, and deliver even more much-needed relief to those affected by Hurricane Helene in the western part of our state.”
The votes will be certified in North Carolina by the state board of elections on Nov. 15. Stein will take the oath in January 2025.
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