North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein (center) celebrates with his family Tuesday night following a lopsided victory over his Republican opponent Mark Robinson. Photo by Carla Peay/The Atlanta VoiceRALEIGH, N.C. – At the Marriott City Center in downtown Raleigh, supporters gathered in a grand ballroom decorated with blue, white, and silver balloons and waited for the election results to come in. Ultimately those results came quickly and were of no surprise to anyone.Attorney General Josh Stein defeated Lt. Governor Mark Robinson to become the next Governor of North Carolina. It took less than an hour for the networks to call the race for Stein. North Carolina polls closed at 7:30. By 8:30, Stein was declared the winner.As recently as November 2, Stein led Robinson by double-digits in ten separate nationwide polls. Governor-elect Stein was introduced to the crowd by the outgoing Democratic Governor Roy Cooper.“We have done something important with this victory in the Governor’s race,” Cooper said. “North Carolina is better because he (Stein) has been an amazing public servant as your attorney general. Now, it’s time for his new job.”Stein took the stage to a thunderous ovation and chants of “Josh…Josh…Josh!” Stein was joined on stage by his wife Anna and their three children.“I am so honored that you have chosen me to be your next governor,” Stein began, “But as we celebrate, our hearts are still with the people of Western North Carolina. When people showed up to help, no one asked whether they were Republicans or Democrats. We will show up and help our neighbors rebuild and become safer and stronger than ever.”Stein, 58, was born in Washington D.C. before his family moved to North Carolina. His father, Adam Stein, was a civil rights attorney who co-founded North Carolina’s first integrated law firm. Stein has a B.A. in history from Dartmouth and taught English and economics in Zimbabwe before attending Harvard, where he earned a law degree and a degree in Public Policy. He served as deputy attorney general for consumer protection at the North Carolina Department of Justice and was a member of the state senate before becoming Attorney General.One key issue of Stein’s platform is protecting reproductive rights and has said on several occasions that he will veto any restrictions on reproductive freedoms. He is a strong advocate for public education and says he will raise teacher pay.“I ran for governor because I believe in the promise of North Carolina,” Stein said.  “We need to invest in our people and build a safer and stronger economy that works for everyone. We want our schools to be excellent, our neighborhoods to be safe, our teachers to be well paid, and for women to make decisions about their own bodies.” Robinson’s path to victory took a serious hit in September when a CNN report claimed Robinson made racist and sexually explicit remarks on a pornography message board several years ago. Robinson denied the allegations and has filed a lawsuit against CNN. But following the report, Robinson lost several staffers and became conspicuously absent from all Republican campaign events held in North Carolina.In his concession speech, Robinson called himself “an ordinary person who got into this for the right reasons.” He took a moment to thank his supporters, but admitted early on in the race that it didn’t look like things were going to go their way.“I’m not sad one lick,” Robinson said. “But I am disappointed for you. I wanted this not for me, but for the people of North Carolina.” Robinson did not congratulate his opponent during his concession speech, claiming he ran a race that was “upright and decent”, while others did not.Stein will become the first Jewish governor in the state’s history. During his tenure as attorney general, Stein lobbied for Congress to contribute to placing fentanyl scanners at the border, led a fentanyl task force at state’s Department of Justice, and successfully ended North Carolina’s rape kit backlog.“We have big challenges, but bigger dreams ahead of us,” Stein said. “These issues are not partisan issues, they are North Carolina issues. We are going to open up doors of opportunity for our children, expand educational opportunities, put aside our differences and work together. We will reject the politics of hate and division. We go further when we go together.”Governor-elect Stein will be inaugurated on January 1, 2025. The post Josh Stein wins quick, decisive victory over Mark Robinson in North Carolina Governor’s race appeared first on The Atlanta Voice.