Democrat Stein Wins North Carolina Governor's Race

Democrat Josh Stein won the North Carolina governor's race on Tuesday night, defeating Republican Mark Robinson, whose candidacy imploded following a CNN report that he had called himself a "Black Nazi" and made other offensive remarks on a pornographic website.

Robinson, the state's lieutenant governor, denied the allegations and filed a defamation lawsuit against CNN.

DecisionDesk HQ and Newsmax called the race for Stein, who led Robinson by a 56.6%-39.3% margin with 13% of precincts reporting.

Robinson was endorsed by former President Donald Trump, whose campaign distanced itself from Robinson after the scandal broke in September.

Stein, the state's attorney general, will be the first Jewish governor of North Carolina. He has said he will prioritize helping the western part of the state recover after Hurricane Helene devastated the region in September and has proposed investing more in public education.

Like his Democrat predecessor, Roy Cooper, who was term-limited, Stein is likely to face a Republican-controlled legislature, limiting his ability to push through policies.

North Carolina is also one of seven battleground states in the closely fought presidential race between Trump and Democrat Vice President Kamala Harris. Some Republicans had expressed concern that Robinson's candidacy could damage Trump's chances of carrying the state.