(MENAFN- Live Mint) Democratic candidate Josh Stein on Wednesday won the governor race on Tuesday, defeating Republican Lieutenant Governor Mark Robinson in North Carolina. This victory comes amid recent Republican control over the legislature and appeals courts in North Carolin .
Who is Josh Stein?
Stein, a Harvard-trained lawyer, former state senator and the state's chief law enforcement officer since 2017, will succeed fellow Democrat Roy Cooper, who was term-limited from seeking reelection. He will be the state's first Jewish governor. Robinson's campaign was greatly hampered by a damning report in September that he had posted messages on an online pornography website, including that he was a“Black Nazi."
Also Read | Nevada, North Carolina, Arizona US Polls LIVE: Bomb threat disrupts voting
Since 1993, Democrats have controlled the governor's mansion for all but four years, even though Republicans have held legislative majorities since 2011.
Like Cooper, one of Stein's main responsibilities will likely be using his veto power to block policies he sees as overly conservative. Cooper saw mixed results with this approach during his eight years as governor. Otherwise, Stein's campaign priorities largely align with Cooper's, focusing on increasing public school funding, promoting clean energy, and preventing additional abortion restrictions proposed by Republican .
For months Stein and his allies used television ads and social media to remind voters of previous inflammatory comments that Robinson had made about abortion, women and LGBTQ people that they said made him too extreme to lead a swing state.
Also Read | US Election 2024 LIVE: Donald Trump narrowly leads Harris in Pennsylvania
Stein campaigned on his record of suing companies for pollution, opioids and e-cigarette marketing to teens. He also spoke about freedom in terms of public safety and personal health-care decisions, echoing the presidential campaign of Kamala Harris, which spent significant time and resources trying to swing the state's 16 electoral college votes to Democrats for the first time since 2008.
“We chose hope over hate, competency over chaos,” Stein said Tuesday night at his watch party in Raleigh, where he was introduced by Cooper.“Because that's who we are as North Carolinians”
Stein's campaign dramatically outraised and outspent Robinson, who was seeking to become the state's first Black governor.
MENAFN06112024007365015876ID1108855313
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.