North Carolina’s Josh Stein wins race for governor over Mark Robinson

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North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein speaks during a Get Out the Vote rally in Raleigh, North Carolina, on October 30, 2024. / AFP via Getty Images

This piece originally appeared as part of NPR's live coverage of the 2024 election. For more election coverage from the NPR Network head to our live updates page.

RALEIGH, N.C. – North Carolina Democratic Attorney General Josh Stein has won the state’s race for governor, according to a race call by the Associated Press.

Stein 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 - saying they were faked - and is suing CNN for defamation.

MORE: North Carolina election results

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.