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Fox News Projects Attorney General Josh Stein to Win North Carolina Governor’s Race

Fox News Projects Attorney General Josh Stein to Win North Carolina Governor’s Race

Fox News Decision Service Projects Democratic North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein will win the state’s gubernatorial election against Republican Lieutenant Governor Mark Robinson.

High stakes The election pitted progressive candidate Stein, who was endorsed by term-limited Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper to fill his current seat, and Robinson, whose meteoric political career began in 2018 after an impassioned speech about the Second Amendment in a viral video.

Robinson’s campaign was rocked by scandal several weeks ago when a local news outlet reported Sept. 3 that Robinson allegedly regularly visited porn stores, viewing material in a private booth, according to former employees and customers. Robinson’s alleged visits to adult stores occurred in the 1990s and 2000s, before his move into the political sphere, according to the report.

Robinson and his campaign dismissed the report as a “complete and total fabrication,” but it remained at the center of the scandal when CNN published a report later that month alleging that Robinson frequented a pornographic site called Naked Africa. , where he allegedly corresponded with colleagues. users talk about spying on women in locker rooms as teenagers, calling themselves a “black Nazi” and declaring their love for transgender pornography.

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split left-right Josh Stein and Mark Robinson

North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein (left) and Lieutenant Governor Mark Robinson (Ethan Hyman/The News & Observer/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

According to CNN, the alleged use of chat forums took place between 2008 and 2012, long before Robinson entered the political arena in 2019 when he announced his candidacy for lieutenant governor.

Robinson loudly denied the report, including before it was published, and vowed to stay in the race, calling the then-expected report “tabloid trash.”

“Let me assure you that what you will see in this story is not the words of Mark Robinson. You know my words, you know my character, and you know that I have been completely transparent in this race before. Guys, right now in this race our opponents are desperately trying to shift the focus here. from substantive issues and focus on what you care about for the sake of the salacious trap and tabloid trash,” he said in the X video.

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Mark Robinson close-up

Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson arrives before former President Trump speaks at a campaign event Aug. 14 in Asheville, North Carolina. (Grant Baldwin/Getty Images)

Stein has been North Carolina’s attorney general since 2017 after serving in the state Senate from 2009 to 2016. The progressive lawyer and politician campaigned on a platform of lowering housing costs, increasing job creation, expanding access to abortion and improving education.

Democratic Party Candidate joined Vice President Harris during her campaign for the White House this election season and was endorsed by North Carolina Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper. Stein will become the state’s first Jewish governor when he is inaugurated in January.

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Governor Roy Cooper close-up

North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper speaks in support of Democratic presidential candidate Vice President Harris on August 16 in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Grant Baldwin/Getty Images)

“I am pleased to endorse Josh Stein as the next Governor of North Carolina. He is driven by an unwavering commitment to the people of our great state. That’s why he will work to invest in students and public schools, quality health care for hard-working people, and better jobs that make life more affordable for the middle class. With a strong track record and a clear vision for our future, Josh is ready to do the job,” Cooper said in a statement about Stein’s race.

Close-up of smiling Josh Stein

North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein attends the Reproductive Freedom Bus Tour in Raleigh on September 10. (Kate Medley for The Washington Post via Getty Images)

North Carolina has its own history elections of Democratic governors and Republican presidential candidates, with a Democratic presidential candidate last elected in 2008 and a Republican governor last elected in 2012.

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Robinson campaigned on a platform of reducing crime, supporting police, growing North Carolina businesses and lower taxes for families and businesses.

Previously an employee of a furniture factory in North Carolina and an Army veteran, he rose through the GOP political ladder, including winning endorsements from former President Trump and NRA.

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Robinson went viral in 2018 when he gave an impassioned speech about gun laws during a Greensboro City Council meeting before he was elected to political office. His speech came in response to local leaders debating whether to cancel the gun show following the Parkland school shooting in Florida that same year.

“I am a law-abiding citizen who has never shot anyone,” Robinson said at the meeting, which was viewed 200 million times. “Every time we have a shooting like this, no one wants to put the blame on whoever did the shooting. You want to place it on my feet. You want to turn around and limit my rights.”

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