North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein has defeated Republican Mark Robinson, the state’s lieutenant governor, in their race for the governorship, NBC News projects.
Polling data showed Stein with a sizable lead for much of the race, seemingly due to Robinson’s raft of controversies. Robinson was dogged by stories of putrid social media posts and public declarations over the years, which included an attack on school shooting victims along with antisemitism, misogyny and transphobia.
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In the closing weeks of the race, senior members of his staff abandoned his campaign after a CNN story linked him to a pseudonymous account on a porn site. The account allegedly declared itself a “Black Nazi,” expressed support for slavery, and shared some X-rated musings. As a result, Robinson, who has denied the allegations, seemed to face ostracism. As an example, I’ve been keen to note one of his loudest backers in conservative media — Jason Whitlock — basically told him to fess up to his sins. And Donald Trump, who’d disturbingly labeled the far-right extremist “Martin Luther King on steroids,” stopped appearing publicly with Robinson in the months leading up to the election. Weeks before Election Day, Trump refused to give a solid answer when asked if he thought voters should back Robinson.
Stein, who became the first Jewish person elected to statewide office in North Carolina when he won his AG race in 2016, will now become the state’s first Jewish governor.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
Ja’han Jones is an MS NOW opinion blogger. He previously wrote The ReidOut Blog.