Meet Josh Stein, North Carolina’s first Jewish governor-elect
His Jewish faith taught him ‘we can all make a difference in our communities’
North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein at a Joe Biden campaign rally in June. Photo by Allison Joyce/Getty Images
By Louis Keene November 5, 2024
Democrat Josh Stein was elected governor of North Carolina on Tuesday in a landslide, and is poised to become the state’s first Jewish governor and one of six Jewish state executives when he takes office in 2025.
Stein, the state’s attorney general, routed Republican Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson in a race that was defined by revelations of Robinson’s identifying as a “Black Nazi” on a pornography message board and other troubling online activity.
Vice President Kamala Harris was hoping that Republican apathy toward Robinson would help her win North Carolina, one of seven key battleground states, but as of 10 p.m. ET, the presidential race was still too close to call in the state.
Stein, 52, and Matt Meyer, who was projected to win Delaware’s governor’s race Tuesday, join four sitting Jewish governors: Colorado’s Jared Polis, Illinois’ J.B. Pritzker, Hawaii’s Josh Green and Pennsylvania’s Josh Shapiro. All are Democrats (and yes, 6% of U.S. governors are now Jewish guys named Josh).
Stein’s win means that 6% of the country’s governors are Jewish guys named Josh.
(Josh Shapiro in PA, Josh Green in Hawaii) https://t.co/d246QbX2yv
— Melissa Weiss (@melissaeweiss) November 6, 2024
Here are a few Jewish facts to know about Governor-elect Stein.
He leads with his Jewish identity
Stein and his wife, Anna Harris Stein, have three children and are members of Temple Beth Or, a Reform congregation of about 500 families in Raleigh. As attorney general and as a candidate for governor, he has often spoken about how Jewish values drive his commitment to public service.
“My Jewish faith teaches me that we’re all children of God, that we all can make a difference in our communities, and we all have a responsibility to make a difference in our communities,” Stein told Jewish Insider. “Tikkun olam, to repair the world, is a driving value that my faith teaches and my parents instilled in my brother, sister and me. They always taught us to try to do what was right, even when it wasn’t easy.”
Stein comes from a family that is well-known to North Carolina liberals, and featured his parents’ activism in campaign video. His father, Adam Stein, founded the first integrated law firm in the state, and in 1970 successfully convinced the U.S. Supreme Court to order desegregation in Charlotte’s schools. His mother, Jane Stein, is a lifelong liberal activist.
After Robinson’s scandalous posts came to light, Stein said the “antisemitic speech infuriates me as a Jewish person and as a person who knows and cares about a lot of Jews,” adding, “I’ve seen the impact of his words on people.”
Stein has lit the public menorah at Beth Or’s Hanukkah celebrations and has been involved in numerous Jewish Federation events. Stein also coached a JCC soccer team.
He showed up for the Jewish community after Oct. 7 – and has tried to avoid controversy around the war in Gaza
After Oct. 7, Stein spoke at a Jewish community vigil in Raleigh and sent a message of solidarity to the Jewish community of Asheville, North Carolina. “Dates like Dec. 7, 1941, and Sept. 11, 2001, are etched in our minds forever as Americans,” he wrote. “Now, Oct. 7, 2023, will forever be indelibly marked in the hearts of Israelis. A nation has a right to defend itself when attacked. Israel has a right to defend itself. Violence and terror are not the ways to achieve a lasting and meaningful peace in this conflict.”
He concluded: “We stand with Israel.”
I was heartened to join members of the clergy - both Jew & non-Jew - & of the Triangle’s Jewish community at the JCC this evening. We came together to grieve those innocents murdered and kidnapped, to declare that we stand with Israel against terrorism, and to pray for peace. pic.twitter.com/o3C7os44NY
— Josh Stein (@JoshStein_) October 9, 2023
While Stein has reiterated his support, he has mostly tried to stay away from Democratic party discourse around the war in Gaza.
After the chancellor of University of North Carolina called in the police to dismantle a Gaza encampment, for example, Stein offered an even-handed response — as his opponent cheered the decision.
“The right to free speech is fundamental, and students should be able to exercise it peacefully,” Stein said. “But any antisemitism, violence or other acts of hate are unacceptable. The safety of all students is critical.”
He said he did not think Israel and Gaza were central issues in the North Carolina governor’s race, and has avoided talking about them at length on the campaign trail.
JTA contributed reporting.
Correction: An earlier version of this article misstated the number of Jewish governors who will be in office in 2025. There will be six, not five.
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