North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein will run for governor in 2024, the first official candidate announcement in what's projected to be an expensive race.
Stein, a Democrat who was first elected to statewide office in 2016, hopes to fill the vacancy of Gov. Roy Cooper, who has reached his limit of two terms and can't run for reelection.
In a three-minute video announcing his candidacy, Stein took a jab at North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, a Republican, who has yet to announce his bid for governor.
Stein included footage of Robinson and former President Donald Trump sharing a campaign stage in the past, including the caption: "Some politicians spark division, ignite hate, and fan the flames of bigotry."
Stein continued to mock Robinson, and ostensibly Trump, in the video: "Some politicians want to tell you who you should hate, when [you can] be pregnant, and who you can marry," said Stein, while being supported by visuals of Robinson allegedly making pro-life and anti-LGBTQ comments.
"I believe in a different North Carolina — and that the fights we choose determine what kind of state we'll become," Stein concluded in the video.
Trump carried North Carolina in the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections, posting statewide victories over Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden, respectively.
Robinson, largely viewed as the Republican Party's primary favorite in next year's gubernatorial election, is the first black lieutenant governor in North Carolina history.
According to Politico, Stein's early announcement might discourage other Democrats from entering the race since Stein's campaign could potentially boast the largest fundraising war chest of any other likely Democrat.
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