[co-author: Stephanie Kozol]
On January 18, North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein (D) announced his bid for governor in a three-minute video to replace term-limited Democrat Roy Cooper. Since his announcement comes nearly two years (657 days) before the 2024 election, AG Stein likely hopes his early launch will dissuade other Democratic primary challengers. More than 150 elected officials in North Carolina, including 64 members of the state House and Senate, 16 mayors, and 28 district attorneys and sheriffs, endorsed AG Stein’s announcement. AG Stein garnered national attention by leading lawsuits against opioid manufacturers and by initiating efforts to end robocalls and robotexts.
In the video, AG Stein discusses his family’s history of fighting against discrimination, while also attacking his likely Republican opponent Lieutenant Governor Mark Robinson by saying that “[s]ome politicians spark division, ignite hate, and fan the flames of bigotry.” “I believe in a different North Carolina — and that the fights we choose determine what kind of state we’ll become,” said AG Stein. “We’ll build a better and brighter North Carolina by standing together for what’s right, fighting to fix what’s wrong, and doing right by every single North Carolinian.”
Why This Matters
Although Democrats have not won North Carolina in a presidential or a Senate race since 2008, Governor Cooper, another former AG, unseated Republican Governor Pat McCrory in 2016 — the same year AG Stein won his first AG bid — so AG Stein hopes his early bid will help continue the Democratic reign in North Carolina.
