N.C. Attorney General Josh Stein has won the state's race for governor, according to a race call by the Associated Press.
Stein easily defeated Republican Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, whose campaign cratered after CNN reported that he'd posted pro-slavery, pro-Nazi comments on a pornographic website. Robinson, who had been endorsed by former President Trump, has denied writing the posts 鈥� saying they were faked 鈥� and is suing CNN for defamation.
Robinson conceded the race shortly after the race was called. "I'm not sad one lick, I'm a little disappointed," he told supporters in Raleigh. "I'm disappointed for you, because I wanted this so bad for you. I wanted this for the people of North Carolina, not for me. I wanted it for them. I wanted to represent them."
Robinson said he'll now finish out his term as lieutenant governor and spend time with family. He didn't rule out another run for office, saying "who knows, maybe in the future, once again, somewhere in office."Follow live election results here
Stein will take over in January from two-term Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper, who was term-limited from running again. He has been the state's attorney general since 2017, and he previously served in the state Senate. Stein, 58, grew up in Chapel Hill, where his father co-founded the state's first integrated law firm. He will be North Carolina's first Jewish governor.
Stein gave his victory speech before an enthusiastic crowd of Democrats soon after, coming on stage following an introduction from current Gov. Roy Cooper.
鈥淭onight, the people of North Carolina resoundingly embraced a vision that's optimistic, forward-looking and welcoming, a vision that's about creating opportunity for every North Carolinian,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e chose hope over hate, competence over chaos, decency over division.鈥�
It鈥檚 so far unclear if Stein will face a Republican veto-proof majority in the legislature, as most of the competitive legislative races remain too close to call.
Stein told supporters he wants to work to 鈥渂uild a safer, stronger North Carolina, where the economy continues to grow and works for everyone, where our public schools are excellent and our teachers are well-paid, and where our neighborhoods are safe and women can make their own decisions about their own bodies.鈥�
He campaigned on blocking further abortion restrictions in a state that enacted a 12-week ban last year and he touted his record of negotiating legal settlements with drug companies over the opioid epidemic.
But Robinson's scandals ultimately dominated the race. Even before the CNN story, he made headlines for calling LGBTQ+ people "filth" and suggesting women seeking abortions should "keep your skirt down."
The CNN story in September about sexually explicit, racist posts on a pornographic website more than a decade ago prompted the national Republican Governors Association to pull its ads supporting Robinson. Much of his campaign staff quit and he stopped running TV ads.
BREAKING: is conceding the race. "I鈥檓 not sad one lick. I鈥檓 a bit disappointed, but I鈥檓 disappointed for you," he tells supporters in Raleigh.
— Colin Campbell (@RaleighReporter)
Robinson, a former furniture factory worker who entered politics after a viral speech to the Greensboro City Council in support of gun rights, spent the final weeks of the campaign holding events with small groups of people. Former President Donald Trump stopped having Robinson at his campaign rallies, and when asked about the scandal, Trump said he wasn't familiar with the race. Trump had previously endorsed Robinson, calling him "Martin Luther King on steroids."
Robinson continued to hold frequent campaign events in the final weeks of the election, even without participation from most of the other GOP candidates in the state. He wrapped up with a pre-election rally at a Baptist church in Greensboro Monday night.
In the final months of the race, Stein raised more than 10 times as much campaign money as Robinson for a total of nearly $45 million. And the Republican Council of State Committee, which takes unlimited contributions to support the slate of Republican candidates, ended funding for Robinson in October and instead directed its spending to other GOP races.
While Stein's victory wasn't a surprise, he'll face a heavily Republican legislature. But Democrats are hoping to flip several seats and end the GOP's veto-proof supermajority, which would give Stein more power to block legislation.
