Josh Stein is the Democratic candidate for Governor in North Carolina. He has served as North Carolina’s Attorney General since 2016. Before that, he represented the 16th district in the North Carolina Senate and served as the Senior Deputy Attorney General for Consumer Protection. Over the course of his career, Stein has:
- Tackled the largest backlog of untested rape kits in the country.
- Secured more than $50 billion nationally for opioid addiction treatment and recovery services for people in North Carolina.
- Worked to extend and expand NC’s renewable energy tax credit.
- Defended women’s access to reproductive health care.
- Defended children’s rights to a good public education.
- Won $40 million in a lawsuit against Juul to help kids overcome nicotine addictions.
- Helped negotiate the largest coal ash clean up in the history of the country.
We interviewed Stein last week on a variety of topics. This is an unedited interview.
How will North Carolina be different 10 years from now with a Democratic governor?
Under a Democratic governor, it will be focused on fighting for people, not fighting culture wars. North Carolina will build on its momentum to become an even safer and stronger state than it is today.
Last year, Governor Cooper implemented Medicaid expansion, and half a million people have enrolled in the last seven months. The ability of North Carolinians to access preventative care and live healthier lives will save lives and save the state billions of dollars in emergency care. As Governor, I will continue our state’s investments in health care.
We are in the midst of administering broadband expansion funds to all corners of the state. I will be focused on maximizing its impact so people can stay in their hometowns and do business, access telemedicine, and have their children learn. We’ll also focus on traditional infrastructure, like rail and roads. For instance, I’m proud that engineers recently broke ground on the Cape Fear Bridge in Wilmington, which will strengthen the regional economy over the decades ahead. Governor Cooper’s leadership has already transformed our state, and I intend to continue in his trajectory.
North Carolina is home, and I pray that all of our children and grandchildren also want to call it home. The only way we can do that is by investing in public education, health care, and infrastructure, protecting public safety, and standing up for personal freedoms. It will pay dividends in creating more opportunity for people in our state over the next decade.
We read a piece from Border Belt recently that profiled a bunch of high school students in Robeson County who weren’t planning to vote because they didn’t see the point. What would you say to them?
I understand that it can seem like the Governor’s office is a million miles away and that decisions made in Raleigh don’t matter. But that is exactly how some politicians want young people to feel. If high schoolers and young adults knew that they had the power to ask for more and expect better, then those politicians would be out of a job! You have more power than you know. If I could say anything to our young people, it’d be this: don’t let politicians strip you of your power by convincing you to check out.
The Border Belt article you highlighted talks about young adults at a job fair in Robeson County. I want to speak directly to them, and all of the young folks across the state, when I say I am working to ensure North Carolina remains an attractive place for you to start businesses and for companies to come and create good-paying jobs for you and your families. I am committed to expanding technical education and apprenticeships because no one should have to go to college to get a good-paying job. And to the student in the article who’s headed to NCCU, I offer my congratulations. Voting plays a huge role in decisions like how much funding and support our universities receive, including North Carolina’s stellar HBCUs.
I also understand how distant the idea of owning a home or starting a family may seem. I am focused on doing everything I can to get housing costs under control and incomes higher. I launched my Working Families Tax Cut proposal in March to put more money in the pockets of working people and to help parents raise their kids. I am also focused on protecting women’s right to decide when and whether to have a baby. We must also do everything we can to speed our transition to a clean energy economy and reduce the greenhouse gasses that cause climate change. All the decisions being made right now are affecting you, and you have the power to shape them.
How does the day-to-day of a governor affect college students across the state?
It affects every aspect of their lives. For example, Governor Cooper recently met with the Japanese Prime Minister, where he announced multi-billion dollars in investments from Japanese companies in North Carolina. Those investments will create jobs for students and recent graduates and help them support themselves.
If you don’t attend a four-year college, having access to free community college and preparedness in fast-growing industries is a game-changer in starting a career to support yourself and your future family. A Governor can prioritize affordable housing, using the tools at his or her disposal to expand the supply of housing and lower costs, so that young adults aren’t forced to live with their parents or bear the burden of high rent. When it comes to starting a family, the choice should be yours, which is why a Governor’s position on reproductive rights is so important. Finally, everyone’s day-to-day life is affected by a Governor’s position on clean air, clean water, and carbon pollution. North Carolina needs a leader who will build our state’s climate resiliency so communities are healthy and safe for generations to come.
Is there anything you wish reporters would ask you? Why?
I want North Carolinians to hear more about how state leaders work together across our political differences to get things done, not just hear about when we disagree. There are certainly issues where our stances are miles apart, but there are others where it’s just a matter of inches. We all want to have strong public schools and safe communities, and I’m proud of my work as AG to reach across the aisle and secure wins for the people of North Carolina together on these issues. I’ve worked with Republicans and Democrats in the legislature to fight the opioid and fentanyl crises, end the rape kit backlog, protect kids from sexual assault, modernize our sex crime laws to address AI, and improve the criminal justice system. Good ideas on many of the issues that matter – the economy, education, public safety, and health care – don’t come with party labels, and we can’t limit our solutions to just one party’s proposals. It’s important that we let voters understand unity and collaboration is possible, not just gridlock and division.
(We ask every candidate running for office this question.) If you could design a pair of Crocs for yourself, what would they look like?
Honestly, I wear flip flops, not Crocs so I wouldn’t know how to design them. I did ask my kids for some suggestions, though. They said the blue and red of the state flag with a bunch of Jibbitz, including a basketball charm for one shoe, a soccer charm for the other one, a heart for my wife Anna, three trees for each child, and of course, something to represent BBQ.