RALEIGH, N.C. — New year, new governor—North Carolina swore in Governor Josh Stein on Wednesday.
During the ceremony, Stein reaffirmed his commitment to bipartisanship and progress for North Carolina.
"The work ahead will surely be challenging, but the time is now to build a safer, stronger North Carolina, where our economy continues to grow and works for more people, where our public schools are excellent and our teachers are well paid, where our neighborhoods are safe and our personal freedoms are protected. And, of course, we must act with urgency to help the people of western North Carolina recover from Hurricane Helene."
Stein was the first Jewish-American to win a statewide election in North Carolina when he won his bid for Attorney General in 2017, and he now becomes the first Jewish governor of the state. Stein opted to run for governor instead of seeking a third term as Attorney General.
Previously, Stein served in the North Carolina Senate from 2009 to 2016.
Stein replaced incumbent Roy Cooper for the governorship, keeping the office in Democrat control. Cooper, who served as the state's governor since 2017, was term limited.
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Stein defeated his Republican challenger, Lieutenant Governor Mark Robinson, in the general election by a 14.8 percentage point margin. This victory came despite President-elect Trump carrying the state by 3.2 percentage points in the national election.
According to his website, Stein aims to raise the minimum wage, provide universal school meals for public school students, expand affordable housing, protect reproductive rights, and put North Carolina on a path to carbon neutrality by 2050.
Although Stein was sworn in Wednesday, there will be a public inauguration in Raleigh scheduled for 10 a.m. on Saturday Jan. 11.
