Politics

Democrat Josh Stein defeats Mark Robinson in North Carolina’s gubernatorial race

Published

2 years ago

November 11, 2024

North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein has defeated Republican Mark Robinson, the state’s lieutenant governor, in their race for the governorship, NBC News projects.

Polling data showed Stein with a sizable lead for much of the race, seemingly due to Robinson’s raft of controversies. Robinson was dogged by stories of putrid social media posts and public declarations over the years, which included an attack on school shooting victims along with antisemitism, misogyny and transphobia.

Follow BLN’s live blog for the latest updates and expert analysis on the 2024 election.

In the closing weeks of the race, senior members of his staff abandoned his campaign after a BLN story linked him to a pseudonymous account on a porn site. The account allegedly declared itself a “Black Nazi,” expressed support for slavery, and shared some X-rated musings. As a result, Robinson, who has denied the allegations, seemed to face ostracism. As an example, I’ve been keen to note one of his loudest backers in conservative media — Jason Whitlock — basically told him to fess up to his sins. And Donald Trump, who’d disturbingly labeled the far-right extremist “Martin Luther King on steroids,” stopped appearing publicly with Robinson in the months leading up to the election. Weeks before Election Day, Trump refused to give a solid answer when asked if he thought voters should back Robinson.

Stein, who became the first Jewish person elected to statewide office in North Carolina when he won his AG race in 2016, will now become the state’s first Jewish governor.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

Ja’han Jones

Ja’han Jones is The ReidOut Blog writer. He’s a futurist and multimedia producer focused on culture and politics. His previous projects include “Black Hair Defined” and the “Black Obituary Project.”

Politics

Cruz and Blackburn meet Trump to discuss tech policy

Published

7 hours ago

July 21, 2026

Blue Light Newsroom

Cruz and Blackburn meet Trump to discuss tech policy

The meeting came ahead of a markup planned for next week on AI policy and kids online safety measures…
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Politics

South Carolina Senate poll shows surprising frontrunner: Trey Gowdy

Published

7 hours ago

July 21, 2026

Blue Light Newsroom

Former Rep. Trey Gowdy insists he’s not interested in running in the South Carolina special election. But a new poll suggests Gowdy would be formidable if he changed his mind.

Gowdy holds a massive lead over seven other potential and declared GOP candidates for the late Sen. Lindsey Graham’s seat, according to a poll from Republican-aligned firm Peak Insights that was obtained by POLITICO.

Gowdy draws 38 percent of the vote. The actual candidates in the race are bunched closely, with no clear frontrunner: Rep. Ralph Norman trails at 13 percent support, followed closely by both Rep. Russell Fry and Sen. Darline Graham, Lindsey’s sister who is running for a full term after being appointed, who both sit at 9 percent. Businessman Mark Lynch, a self-funder who lost a Senate primary to Graham last summer, pulls 7 percent support. The survey of 900 likely GOP primary voters for South Carolina’s special election was conducted before anyone formally entered the contest.

The election will be a test of Trump’s power. He endorsed Darline Graham last week, but that hasn’t stopped other prominent South Carolina Republicans from jumping in the race, all of them touting their loyalty to the president — despite not having his formal support.

And at least according to the poll, his endorsement doesn’t shift things much. When respondents are informed that Trump “asked Darline Graham Nordone to run in the special election for U.S. Senate, saying if she runs, she has his complete and total endorsement,” Graham’s support improves from 9 percent to 16 percent, and Gowdy falls from 38 percent to 35 percent.

The poll is a sign of why some prominent Republicans — like his longtime friend, Sen. Tim Scott — may want Gowdy in the race. Peak Insights has polled for Scott, who chairs the National Republican Senatorial Committee, as well as the NRSC and the Republican National Committee among many others.

Gowdy left the U.S. House in 2019 and now hosts a show on Fox News. Through a spokesperson, he said he “has not had any conversations about the open senate seat and does not have any interest in it.”

That hasn’t stopped Scott from pushing his longtime buddy to run. Scott advocated for Gowdy to be appointed to the vacant Senate seat after Lindsey Graham’s death, before South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster appointed Darline Graham to the seat. Scott announced last week he was recruiting Gowdy to run in the special election, before Graham announced she would run.

“I can’t think of a better person that I think best represents the heart of South Carolina than Trey Gowdy,” said Scott during a press conference Wednesday. “I’m trying to get him interested in it, but we’ll see if that works out at all.”

Scott and the NRSC have not yet issued an endorsement in the special election. Scott praised Graham during a Fox News interview Monday, saying she is “strong so far, calm under pressure, and really poised.”