NC Attorney General Stein launches gubernatorial bid in key battleground state

North Carolina Democratic Attorney General Josh Stein announced on Wednesday that he would seek his party's nomination for governor in 2024, becoming the first member of his party to announce his candidacy.

"I'm in! I'm running for Governor to fight for our future. As your AG, I have taken on big fights for you and won, time after time. That's what I'll do as your next Governor. Together, we can build a better and brighter North Carolina," Stein tweeted in a post that accompanied his campaign launch video.

"Robinson wants to tell you who you can marry, when you'll be pregnant, and who you should hate," Stein says, referencing Republican Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, who appears in the video making statements about myriad social issues.

"I believe in a very different North Carolina, one routed in our shared values of freedom, justice, and opportunity for everyone and I believe the fights we choose show who we are and determine what kind of state we'll become," he continues.

I'm in! I'm running for Governor to fight for our future. As your AG, I have taken on big fights for you and won, time after time. That's what I'll do as your next Governor. Together, we can build a better and brighter North Carolina. pic.twitter.com/4l3HCzecMJ

— Josh Stein (@JoshStein_) January 18, 2023

Stein was first elected to his post as attorney general in 2016 and earned reelection in 2020. He succeeded Democrat Roy Cooper, who himself became governor after ousting one-term Republican Gov. Pat McCrory. Cooper is in his second term and may not seek another.

The state has backed a Republican in every presidential cycle since 2008. It further has two Republican senators and a GOP lieutenant governor. However, both the governor's mansion and the attorney general's post are occupied by Democrats.