North Carolina governor’s race shifts toward Democrats – Washington Examiner
The North Carolina gubernatorial race is showing a shift toward the Democrats, as noted by a leading political analysis source, Sabato’s Crystal Ball. Recently, the election forecast changed from a toss-up to “leans Democratic,” particularly in light of the upcoming presidential election, which also appears competitive in the state. Historically, North Carolina has elected governors from different parties than the presidential winner, with Democrats winning seven of the last eight gubernatorial contests, although only one Democrat has won the presidency there in the last 50 years—Barack Obama in 2008.
The Democratic candidate, Josh Stein, currently the state Attorney General, will compete against Republican Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson. The race’s competitive nature has seen it fluctuating between toss-up and leaning Democratic, indicating the potential for Republicans to still clinch a victory despite the recent trends favoring the Democrats.
North Carolina governor’s race shifts toward Democrats
North Carolina‘s race for governor is trending toward the Democrats, according to a top political handicapper, days after the presidential election in the Tar Heel State shifted in their favor.
Sabato’s Crystal Ball issued a new rating for North Carolina’s gubernatorial race on Wednesday, changing its election forecast from toss-up to “leans Democratic.” This leaves New Hampshire’s race for governor as the last remaining gubernatorial “toss-up” ahead of its primary on Sept. 10.
North Carolina is considered competitive for the presidential election, but the state has a history of electing governors who do not match the party of the presidential winner, and Crystal Ball is predicting the state could produce another round of split-ticketed results. Though Democrats have won seven of the last eight gubernatorial races, the state has only picked one Democrat for president in the past 50 years: former President Barack Obama in 2008.
Still, Crystal Ball changed its rating for the presidential race last week from “leans Republican” to “toss-up,” reflecting newfound momentum for Democrats with Vice President Kamala Harris at the top of the ticket.
In the race for governor, Democratic candidate and state Attorney General Josh Stein, who is running to succeed outgoing Gov. Roy Cooper (D-NC), will face Republican Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson in the general election. The race has flip-flopped between being a toss-up and leaning Democratic from several political analysts, giving Republicans hope that they could still secure a win in a state where former President Donald Trump has a slight polling advantage.
However, Stein continues to hold a strong lead over Robinson. A poll from High Point University-SurveyUSA found that Stein is 14 points ahead of the lieutenant governor, 48% to 34%.
Stein also has a lead in fundraising. State campaign filings from July show the state attorney general raised $13.8 million in the second quarter of fundraising for this year compared to Robinson’s $5.1 million.
If elected, Robinson, 55, would be the state’s first black governor. If Stein, 57, wins, he would become the state’s first Jewish governor. Robinson, who holds an endorsement from Trump, has been in the national spotlight for controversial comments he has made on topics including the LGBT community.
" Conservative News Daily does not always share or support the views and opinions expressed here; they are just those of the writer."
