Democrat Josh Stein defeats embattled Republican Mark Robinson in NC governor's race
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North Carolina Democratic Attorney General Josh Stein defeated the state's embattled Republican Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson in the race for governor, the Associated Press reported.
Why it matters: Stein's win is a major victory for North Carolina Democrats as they retain control of the governor's office. This gives them a check on the Republican-controlled state Legislature.
- It's also historic: Stein will be the state's first Jewish governor.
Catch up quick: The contest has been one of the hardest-fought and most expensive gubernatorial races in the country this year.
- The race made national news in September when CNN reported Robinson had made numerous unsavory comments on a porn site message board. The Republican's campaign has been in free fall since.
- The news demolished Robinson's polling numbers, which had already begun sagging this summer after Stein aired an ad showing Robinson saying abortion is about "killing the child because you weren't responsible enough to keep your skirt down."
- Republicans in North Carolina and beyond, including former President Trump, also distanced themselves from the candidate. (Trump previously endorsed Robinson, calling him "Martin Luther King on steroids.")
The latest: North Carolina governor-elect Josh Stein took the stage at an Election Night watch party in Raleigh to the tune of Petey Pablo's "Raise Up," eagerly thanking the crowd.
- "We chose hope over hate. Competence over chaos. Decency over division. Thats who we are as North Carolinians and I am so honored to be your next governor."
The other side: Speaking to a crowd of several dozen supporters at the City Club in Raleigh, Robinson expressed his disappointment in the results of the race.
- Throughout his speech, supporters could be heard saying it wasn't true that he had lost the race, blaming fake news.
- "I will not shed tears tonight," Robinson said, fighting back tears. "I stand here strong. Proud. Glad to have run a race that was upright and decent."
Zoom in: Stein, who grew up in Chapel Hill and was first elected attorney general in 2016, campaigned on his record in office. That includes a $26 billion opioid crisis settlement, one of the largest state attorney general settlements in history.
- He has also tackled price gouging, robocalls, the state's backlog of sexual assault kits and now, TikTok.
Editor's note: This is a developing story that will be updated.
