Mar 5, 2024 - Politics & Policy

Mark Robinson and Josh Stein will face off in NC governor's race

Photo illustration of Mark Robinson and Josh Stein. — Photo illustration: Axios Visuals. Photos: Drew Angerer and Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images

In expected wins, Republican Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson and Democratic Attorney General Josh Stein clinched their party nominations for North Carolina governor Tuesday.

Why it matters: Their November election will be one of the most closely-watched governor's races in the country — in one of the nation's key battleground states.

Zoom in: After an improbable and controversial political ascent, Robinson, a pastor from Greensboro, is one step away from becoming the first Black governor of North Carolina.

Donald Trump recently endorsed Robinson, calling him "Martin Luther King on steroids."
Robinson has faced intense criticism over his incendiary comments about women, Jews, and LGBTQ people. He has championed gun rights as well as conservative education issues, including vouchers, and criticized critical race theory.

Stein, meanwhile, would become North Carolina's first Jewish governor.

As attorney general, he helped win a $26 billion opioid settlement, the second largest state attorney general settlement in history, after the tobacco settlement of 1998.
He's also tackled price gouging, robocalls, the state's backlog of sexual assault kits and now, TikTok.

The big picture: Stein and Robinson are vying to replace term-limited Gov. Roy Cooper, who's served as his party's last line of defense against the Republican-controlled state legislature since his election in 2016.

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Mark Robinson and Josh Stein will face off in NC governor's race

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