In the Republican corner: a right-wing firebrand with a loyal following to match the loathing of partisan rivals.
For the Democrats: a moderate with a diverse coalition of support, promising to safeguard democracy and what remains of state abortion protections.
The race to become the next governor of North Carolina is likely to mirror the choice facing voters on their presidential tickets in November. Republican Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson and Democratic Attorney General Josh Stein are the heavy favorites in their respective Super Tuesday primaries to make the fall ballot, as are former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden.
North Carolina is once again shaping up to be a crucial battleground in 2024. Biden and Democrats are hoping to flip the state, which Trump narrowly won in 2020, while also keeping a grasp on power in Raleigh by passing the torch from term-limited Gov. Roy Cooper to Stein. Stein is viewed by many as a rising star and the party’s last best hope to slow, if not stop, state Republicans’ march.
Few US electorates are as narrowly divided as in the Tar Heel State, where a Republican legislative supermajority – clinched not by voters, but with a turncoat legislator’s dramatic defection to the GOP last year – has been in constant conflict with Cooper over issues ranging from the state’s new 12-week abortion ban to taxes and regulations.
There is not expected to be too much drama on Tuesday when both parties go to the polls for their primaries. Stein is the overwhelming favorite to win the Democratic gubernatorial nomination, while Biden is expected to sweep the delegates without any Michigan-style drama. On the Republican side, Trump is again a shoo-in for his third consecutive presidential primary victory in the state, and Robinson is polling ahead of his two rivals for the…
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