The North Carolina election is Nov. 5, and the contest between Democratic candidate Josh Stein and Republican candidate Mark Robinson for governor is one of the most prominent races. 

Josh Stein is the Democratic candidate and North Carolina’s current attorney general. He was also a state senator from 2009-2016. Stein grew up in Chapel Hill and Charlotte, later graduating from Dartmouth College, Harvard Kennedy School of Government, and Harvard Law School. 

Stein is Jewish, a characteristic that significantly polarizes this election as Robinson actively denies the Holocaust. Learn more about Stein on his website.

Mark Robinson is the Republican candidate and current lieutenant governor of North Carolina. He has lived in Greensboro his whole life and attended North Carolina A&T State University and the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. 

Robinson’s service in the US Army Reserve and his Evangelical Christian faith have influenced many of his beliefs and the topics he has focused on during his candidacy. Read more about him here.

Stein and Robinson both focus on issues of education, reproductive rights, the environment, the economy, safety, and healthcare in North Carolina.

Education

North Carolina ranks 49th out of all 50 states in percentage of state economy given to public schools, a statistic Stein deems a “disgrace.” As governor, he plans to invest in school staff by raising teacher salaries and hiring more bus drivers and counselors, as well as increase funding for public schools including pre-kindergarten, community colleges, and Historically Black Colleges and Universities. 

Education is one of Robinson’s top priorities. Robinson says he would reject federal funding for North Carolina schools and eliminate the State Board of Education, stating, “Honestly, come on. There should be no federal department of education…” Robinson will work to keep science and history out of the elementary school curriculum. In his memoir, “We Are the Majority: The Life and Passions of a Patriot,”  he writes, “We don’t need to be teaching science. We surely don’t need to be talking about equity and social justice.” Robinson wants an expansion of school voucher programs, making it easier for students to move to high-quality charter and private schools, saying that public schools could become “a thing of the past.”

Reproductive Rights

Stein believes that women should have access to all healthcare, including healthcare for reproduction. In a 2023 statement from the NC Department of Justice, Stein said, “Women, not politicians, should be making these decisions. And I will never stop fighting for women’s freedom.” This perspective is reinforced on his website, which reads, “As governor, I’ll continue to defend women’s rights and freedoms – whether it’s contraception, IVF or abortion… I will veto any efforts to criminalize women’s freedom over their own bodies.” 

Robinson supports North Carolina’s current ban on abortion—which limits the procedure after 12 weeks of pregnancy, with exceptions for rape, incest, or the life of the mother—but does not believe that it is reasonable. At a campaign event, Robinson said he would like to change the ban to six weeks and “would like to push it back as far as we [can] and eliminate as many abortions as we can.” He does not believe that there is a reason why abortion should happen ever, referring to it as “murder” and “genocide” on Facebook. 

The Environment

One of Stein’s most prominent environmental pillars is the fight for clean air and water. As attorney general, he’s already advocated for this, as seen with his 2020 lawsuit against the Trump administration’s Waters of the United States proposal that aimed to weaken protections on rivers, lakes, and fisheries. This lawsuit was accompanied by a statement from the NC Department of Justice, reading, “We must have protections to preserve contaminants from flowing into our rivers and to preserve our wetlands.” Stein, an advocate for ending climate change, vows to work towards carbon neutrality by 2050. In addition to helping prevent climate change from worsening, Stein plans to prepare the state for its effects, such as natural disasters, by building resilient infrastructure. 

Robinson is against Governor Cooper’s goals for developing offshore wind energy, believing it to be too expensive for energy customers. Instead, Robinson promotes an increase in fossil fuel production as a path to economic benefits and affordable energy. Additionally, he’s against the Inflation Reduction Act, which aims to invest in domestic energy production while promoting clean energy. While running for lieutenant governor in 2020, Robinson told a forum the following about his priorities on energy if elected: “So as lieutenant governor, that would be one of the things I would focus on most when it comes to energy: it’s keeping the climate change cabal out of this state, and if they are in this state, keeping them in chains.”

The Economy

“As governor, I’ll fight for an economy that works for everyone,” promised Stein on X, formerly known as Twitter. He aims to accomplish this by lowering costs of basic needs — like groceries, housing, and medicine — cutting taxes for the working class, and raising the minimum wage. He will also strive to bring new businesses to the state in order to bolster North Carolina’s workforce. Stein acknowledges the importance of small businesses, stating on his X account that they “make our economy hum. I’m grateful to all the small business owners I’ve met along the way who are enriching our state and providing jobs to North Carolinians.” 

Mark Robinson released a 10-Point Economic Plan “designed to ease the burden of inflation, cut taxes, and create an environment where businesses and families can thrive across North Carolina.” Robinson wants to cut taxes not only for businesses but also for “ every hardworking taxpayer in the state.” He would like to put money back into the pockets of North Carolinians to survive and save for the future. If he’s elected, Mark Robinson wants to embrace the cryptocurrency industry, saying in his plan, “I believe that North Carolina is positioned to become the national leader in cryptocurrency, and as governor, I will lead the charge.”

Safety

Stein’s website states, “No one should have to worry whether their kids are safe when they’re at school or at play or whether their loved ones are safe when they’re at work or at worship.” Stein abides by this belief, as his office prosecutes and convicts criminals. Stein has also worked to increase the number of law enforcement officers and ensure that they are adequately trained and behaving properly. On his website, Stein promises, “[as your next governor] I’ll work to tackle violent crime, confront the fentanyl crisis, and recruit and retain well-trained law enforcement officers to serve our communities.” 

The public safety plan Robinson has proposed is focused on building up police, fighting violence and drugs, and keeping criminals behind bars. According to his website, Robinson wants to “stand up for law enforcement and give them the support they need. This means training and equipping our officers while holding them to the highest professional standards to keep our communities safe.” He’s expressed that he is standing behind law enforcement and law and order in this state. This plan will attempt to fight against the “left-leaning” attempts to cut back police funding and reduce cash bail for people accused of violent crimes so they can more easily be released while awaiting trial. Robinson also wants to restore the death penalty for those who kill police and corrections officers.

Healthcare

When Stein defended Obamacare in the Supreme Court against politicians trying to strike down the Affordable Care Act in 2020, he said, “health-care is a matter of life and death.” This statement seems to guide his actions as current attorney general and goals for his term as governor, if elected. In the past, Stein has led efforts to hold drug companies accountable for the opioid crisis, worked to improve hospital price transparency and quality of care, attacked health care fraud, and has begun to address the youth mental health crisis. Moving into the future, Stein aims to expand Medicaid, control drug and hospital expenses, increase telemedicine, and strengthen support systems for health issues such as mental health, behavioral health, and drug treatment. 

Mark Robinson is not in support of Medicaid expansion, supporting its failure because he disagrees with the healthcare of North Carolina being turned over to the federal government. He believes that the state has enough talented people capable of developing our own healthcare system that would be “far better than anything the federal government can provide in Medicaid expansion.”  Robinson advocates for full repeal of the Affordable Care Act with no replacement and claims that healthcare is a responsibility that lies with the individual and is not a privilege. On the contrary, Robinson wants to provide healthcare close to home for veterans, ensuring that “our heroes receive the support and services they deserve.”

The most recent poll, run by Emerson College, shows Stein with a roughly 13-point lead over Robsinson, winning 51% to 39%. 

Early voting in North Carolina began on Thursday, Oct. 17, and ends at 3 p.m. on Saturday. Find your early voting sites and schedules in your county here, and do not forget a photo ID. The general election is on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024, and this gubernatorial race is only one of many choices on the ballot. 

Works Cited

Alcindor, Yamiche. “North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson Says He Wants Abortion to Be Illegal at ‘zero’ Weeks in New Audio Released by Democrats.” NBCNews.Com, NBCUniversal News Group, 7 Sept. 2024, www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/north-carolina-lt-gov-mark-robinson-says-wants-abortion-illegal-zero-w-rcna170076.  Accessed 27 Oct. 2024.

“Attorney General Josh Stein Defends Health Care at the U.S. Supreme Court Tomorrow.” NCDOJ, 9 Nov. 2020, https://ncdoj.gov/attorney-general-josh-stein-defends-health-care-at-the-u-s-supreme-court-tomorrow/. Accessed 26 Oct. 2024.

“Attorney General Josh Stein Statement on Planned Parenthood Preliminary Injunction.” NCDOJ, 30 Sept. 2023, https://ncdoj.gov/attorney-general-josh-stein-statement-on-planned-parenthood-preliminary-injunction/. Accessed 26 Oct. 2024.

“Attorney General Josh Stein Takes Legal Action to Protect North Carolina’s Clean Water.” NCDOJ, 1 May 2020, https://ncdoj.gov/attorney-general-josh-stein-takes-legal-action-to-protect-north-carolinas-clean-water/. Accessed 26 Oct. 2024.

Boraks, David. “As He Runs for Governor, Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson Casts Doubt on Climate Science.” WFAE 90.7 – Charlotte’s NPR News Source, WFAE, 11 Aug. 2023, www.wfae.org/energy-environment/2023-08-11/as-he-runs-for-governor-lt-gov-mark-robinson-casts-doubt-on-climate-science.  Accessed 27 Oct. 2024.

Campbell, Colin. “Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson Talks Medicaid Expansion, Incentives.” Business North Carolina, 7 Sept. 2022, businessnc.com/lt-gov-mark-robinson-talks-medicaid-expansion-incentives/.  Accessed 27 Oct. 2024.

FiveThirtyEight. “Latest Polls.” ABC News, 26 Oct. 2024, https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/polls/governor/2024/north-carolina/. Accessed 26 Oct. 2024.

“Josh Stein for NC.” Josh Stein for North Carolina, https://www.joshstein.org/. Accessed 26 Oct. 2024.

“Mark Keith Robinson.” Facebook, 24 Mar. 2018, www.facebook.com/mark.k.robinson.3/posts/pfbid02W1fUEPytJhia1fYfh5jz7hyuYqbTHBdtjP34WtyzjTpAca6HDkQFN3MQHyhVxiJTl.  Accessed 27 Oct. 2024.

“Mark Robinson for Governor: North Carolina.” Mark Robinson for Governor | North Carolina, www.markrobinsonfornc.com/. Accessed 27 Oct. 2024.