Josh Stein, a Democrat serving as North Carolina’s attorney general, is anticipated to make history as the state’s first Jewish governor after defeating Republican Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, who once referred to himself as a “Black Nazi.”

This election drew significant attention, not only due to Robinson’s controversial remarks targeting Jews and other groups but also because North Carolina is a pivotal swing state with the potential to influence the presidential race.

At 58 years old, Stein is a moderate Democrat with a background as a high school educator, a state senator, and a member of the state’s Justice Department. He is also the son of a well-known civil rights attorney.

“Tonight the people of North Carolina resoundingly embraced a vision that’s optimistic, forward-looking and welcoming, a vision that’s about creating opportunity for every North Carolinian,” Stein said in his victory speech on Tuesday. “We chose hope over hate, competence over chaos, decency over division.”

A committed member of Temple Beth Or, a Reform synagogue in Raleigh, Stein has openly shared his Jewish faith. He has also been involved in the local Jewish community, including coaching a children’s soccer team at the JCC.

“Our Jewish faith obliges us to do our part to make the world a better place, better than we found it,” he tweeted to mark Rosh Hashanah in 2022. “This principle guides me as your attorney general.”

By 8:30 p.m. Eastern Time, Stein held a decisive lead with 54% of the vote compared to Robinson’s 42%. This margin was significantly larger than the tight presidential race in the state, where Kamala Harris and Donald Trump were in a close contest. While The Associated Press later called North Carolina for Trump, Democrats were optimistic that Stein’s victory might help Harris carry the state, following Joe Biden’s narrow loss there in 2020.

Stein was endorsed by outgoing Democratic Governor Roy Cooper, who was unable to seek another term. Meanwhile, Robinson enjoyed the support of Donald Trump.

For Jewish Democrats in the state, Stein’s win was not just a cause for celebration but also a relief due to Robinson’s defeat. Robinson, who entered politics in 2020 as a newcomer, has faced a barrage of scandals, including offensive comments and posts on adult websites that surfaced over the past year.

In one inflammatory post, he claimed the popular movie “Black Panther” was “created by an agnostic Jew and put to film by satanic marxist,” adding that its purpose was “only created to pull the shekels out of your Schvartze pockets.”

Robinson, who once labeled himself a “Nazi,” has also trivialized the atrocities of the Nazi regime, writing on Facebook in 2017, “I am so sick of seeing and hearing people STILL talk about Nazis and Hitler and how evil and manipulative they were. NEWS FLASH PEOPLE, THE NAZIS (National Socialist) ARE GONE! We did away with them.”

After assuming political office, Robinson attempted to soften his public persona and reportedly apologized to local Jewish leaders, though not in a public forum. His remarks were strongly condemned by the Republican Jewish Coalition as “clearly antisemitic.”

On Tuesday, Robinson admitted defeat.

“I can tell you this: I’m not going to stop here, folks. We don’t stop here,” he said. “We’ve got a lot of work still to do for the people of North Carolina.”

{Matzav.com}