Greensboro's African American Community Newspaper since 1967
It didn’t take long on Election night for Democratic candidate Josh Stein to claim victory after his unofficial win for governor. With 55 percent of statewide precincts reporting in, Stein, currently the N.C. Attorney General, defeated controversial Trump-endorsed Republican Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson of Greensboro by 33 points and across the state by 14 points.
“Thank you for believing in the promise of North Carolina,” Stein told supporters at a watch party in Raleigh.
Lt. Gov. Robinson, who lost support from fellow Republicans after controversial comments denouncing women, Jews, Muslims, LBTGQ+ and Blacks, followed by an explosive CNN Report accusing him of calling himself a “Black Nazi” on a porn site, now finds himself a political outsider once he leaves office in December.
“I’m not sad for me, I’m sad for you,” a tearful Robinson, the first Black lt. governor in North Carolina history, told supporters.
Sources say that once Stein takes office in December, the Republican-led North Carolina General Assembly is expected to pass legislation to further take power away from his office.
Meanwhile, Republican former Pres. Donald Trump outlasted Democratic presidential opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris, 51percent to 47.5 percent with 100 percent of precincts reporting in to unofficially win North Carolina’s 16 Electoral College votes. Both Harris and Trump made repeated trips to campaign in the state in recent days, hoping to secure North Carolina as an important battleground state on the road to 270.
Back to N.C. Council of State races, with 100 percent of precincts tallied, Democrat Jeff Jackson unofficially outpolled Republican N.C. Congressman Dan Bishop, 51.3 percent to 48.6 percent to become North Carolina’s next attorney general.
Incumbent State Auditor Jessica Holmes lost a close race to Republican Dan Boliek 49.4 percent to 47.5 percent, while former Guilford County Schools Supt. Maurice “Mo” Green defeated Republican opponent Michele Morrow for state superintendent for Public Instruction, 51 percent to 49 percent.
For the N.C. Supreme Court with 100 percent of precincts reporting in, conservative Republican Jefferson Griffin holds a narrow lead over incumbent Democrat Allison Riggs, 50.1 percent to 49.9 percent in unofficial returns. This race is within the margin of error and will likely require a recount. If Griffin holds on to win, there will now be just one Democratic justice seated on the seven member N.C. High Court.
On the N.C. Court of Appeals, Republican Tom Murry narrowly defeated Democratic incumbent Judge Carolyn Jennings Thompson, 50.9 percent to 49.1 percent.
North Carolina election laws indicate that a candidate can call for a recount if the unofficial election result if the candidates are separated by less than 0.5 of a percentage point, or by fewer than 10,000 total votes.
For Congress, 12th District U.S. Rep Alma Adams was re-elected, and Fourth District Democratic Congresswoman Valerie Foushee won a second term to Congress Tuesday.
Finally, North Carolinians passed an amendment to the state constitution that prohibited non-citizens from voting, which was already the law before the measure passed.
