Josh Stein wins North Carolina governor’s race, defeating Mark Robinson, CBS News projects

Washington — Josh Stein, the North Carolina attorney general, will defeat Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson in the state’s gubernatorial race, CBS News projects. 

Stein, a Democrat, is set to become the first Jewish governor in the state’s history, and previously served in the state Senate before becoming attorney general. His projected victory comes as his opponent was roiled in scandal, with a slew of inflammatory comments unearthed on a number of topics since the campaign began. 

Robinson, who gained prominence in Republican circles after he delivered a viral pro-gun rights speech, has made inflammatory comments across a number of topics — from Islam to abortion to feminism — but he’s been especially vocal on LGBTQ+ issues. 

Since the primary, Robinson’s campaign had been marred by the resurgence of posts he’s made online, which spurred concern among Republicans about their nominee’s prospects in the coming election. Then, in September, a CNN investigation shook the gubernatorial race, tying Robinson to a slew of incendiary, explicit and racist comments on a pornographic website more than a decade ago. Robinson denied the CNN report, while insisting that he wouldn’t drop out of the race. 

Robinson, who would have been the first Black governor of North Carolina, was endorsed by former President Donald Trump ahead of the primary, who called him “Martin Luther King on steroids.” In the aftermath of the CNN report, the GOP largely distanced itself from the lieutenant governor, while Robinson lost campaign staff, and ad buys for him were not renewed.

With the projected victory, Stein is set to replace Gov. Roy Cooper, a term-limited Democrat. Democrats have frequently won gubernatorial races in North Carolina, but Republicans were eager to flip the governor’s mansion this year, with voters having elected Republicans to a number of statewide offices in recent years. 

North Carolina is a major battleground state this cycle, with among the closest margins of any state Trump won in 2020. At the time, Trump’s victory seemed to set up Republican victories down the ticket. But experts have questioned whether Robinson’s presence on the ticket could hurt the former president this year.