Biography
Josh Stein is the Democratic Governor of North Carolina, inaugurated in January 2025 after winning the 2024 gubernatorial election. He is the first Jewish governor of North Carolina and the second Democrat to hold the office since 2017, succeeding term-limited Democratic Governor Roy Cooper. Before becoming governor, Stein served two terms as North Carolina Attorney General, from 2017 to 2025. He previously served in the North Carolina State Senate.
As Attorney General, Stein built his reputation primarily through opioid litigation. His office secured over $1 billion in settlement funds from pharmaceutical manufacturers, distributors, and pharmacy chains including Purdue Pharma, Johnson & Johnson, McKesson, and Walgreens. Those funds were directed toward opioid treatment and prevention programs across the state. He also fought predatory lending practices, defended environmental protections against legislative rollback, and used the AG’s office to protect abortion polling rights as the legal landscape shifted after the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision.
His 2024 gubernatorial win was shaped dramatically by the collapse of his Republican opponent. Mark Robinson, the sitting Lieutenant Governor who had won the Republican base, was the subject of a CNN investigation in September 2024 that revealed extremely offensive comments attributed to a pseudonymous account on an adult website forum. The scandal cratered Robinson’s campaign in a state Donald Trump carried in the presidential race that same day. Stein won by approximately 14 points — a far larger margin than any statewide Democrat had achieved in North Carolina in years.
- Josh Stein (D-NC) won the 2024 North Carolina governor's race by 14 points over Republican Mark Robinson — a decisive win that reflected Robinson's extreme vulnerabilities as a candidate rather than a broad Democratic shift in the state.
- North Carolina is a true toss-up — Trump won the state by 3 points in 2024 while Stein won by 14, showing the massive impact of candidate quality in what was the largest governor-presidential split of the 2024 cycle.
- He served two terms as North Carolina Attorney General (2017-2025) before his gubernatorial win — his record on consumer protection, opioid settlements, and environmental enforcement formed the core of his campaign.
- Stein faces a divided North Carolina General Assembly with a Republican supermajority capable of overriding vetoes — a governing environment that requires coalition-building and executive action to advance Democratic priorities.
Key Policy Areas
Opioid Recovery
Stein’s signature achievement as AG was securing over $1 billion in opioid settlement funds for North Carolina. As governor he oversees the distribution of those funds through the Opioid Settlement Funds Commission, directing money toward treatment, prevention, and harm reduction programs statewide. The opioid crisis hit rural North Carolina particularly hard, and directing settlement money effectively is both a public health and political priority.
Education & Economy
Stein campaigned on fully funding public education, expanding access to pre-K, and supporting workforce development to attract business investment. North Carolina has been a major destination for high-tech manufacturing and semiconductor investment under CHIPS Act incentives, and Stein has positioned himself as a pro-business Democrat who can sustain the economic momentum built under Cooper while investing more aggressively in public education and community colleges.
Reproductive Rights
Stein has been a vocal defender of reproductive rights since before the Dobbs decision. As AG he fought Republican legislation that threatened abortion polling, and as governor he faces a Republican-controlled legislature that passed a 12-week abortion ban in 2023. He has pledged not to enforce further restrictions beyond what the law requires and has positioned himself as a defender of a woman’s right to choose within the constraints of North Carolina’s existing law.
2024 Election — The Robinson Collapse
The 2024 North Carolina gubernatorial race was transformed in September when CNN published an investigation finding comments on an adult website attributed to a pseudonymous account associated with Republican nominee Mark Robinson. The comments included statements expressing support for slavery, describing himself as a “black nazi,” and other deeply offensive content. Robinson denied the account was his but never provided convincing evidence, and no major Republicans rushed to his defense.
The result was a race that had been polling within a few points collapsing entirely. Stein won 54.7% to Robinson’s 40.7% — a 14-point margin in a state Trump carried by 3.3 points the same day. The outcome demonstrated how dramatically a single candidate-specific scandal can decouple state and federal voting in a closely divided state.
North Carolina 2024: Ticket-Splitting on a Massive Scale
North Carolina 2024 was one of the clearest examples of candidate-driven ticket-splitting in recent American history. Trump won the state by 3.3 points while Stein won the governor’s race by 14 points — a 17-point gap between top-ticket and governor results.
| Race | Democrat | Republican | D% | R% | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| President | Harris | Trump | 47.9% | 51.2% | R+3.3 |
| Governor | Stein | Robinson | 54.7% | 40.7% | D+14.0 |
| Attorney General | Jeff Jackson | Dan Bishop | 51.4% | 44.2% | D+7.2 |
| Lt. Governor | Rachel Hunt | Hal Weatherman | 49.8% | 46.4% | D+3.4 |
| Split gap (Gov vs. Pres.) | — | 17.3 points | |||
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Josh Stein?
Josh Stein is the Democratic Governor of North Carolina, in office since January 2025. He is the first Jewish governor of North Carolina. He previously served two terms as North Carolina Attorney General (2017–2025), where he secured over $1 billion in opioid settlement funds and fought predatory lending and environmental rollbacks.
How did Josh Stein win the NC governorship in 2024?
Stein won after Republican opponent Mark Robinson was devastated by a CNN investigation revealing extremely offensive comments attributed to a pseudonymous adult website account. Stein won by 14 points even as Trump carried the state by 3.3 points the same day.
What did Josh Stein do as North Carolina Attorney General?
As NC AG (2017–2025), Stein secured over $1 billion in opioid settlement funds, fought predatory lending, defended environmental protections, and used his office to protect abortion polling rights after the Dobbs decision. His opioid litigation work became the centerpiece of his political identity heading into the governor’s race.
Watch: Governor Josh Stein 2025 State of the State Address
External resources: Josh Stein on Ballotpedia — Josh Stein on Wikipedia