Josh Stein

Early life and education

Stein was born on September 13, 1966, in Washington, D.C., the son of Jane (Stoneman) and Adam Stein, of Jewish descent. His family moved to Charlotte, North Carolina, before settling in Chapel Hill, where his father co-founded North Carolina's first integrated law firm.

Stein attended Chapel Hill High School and played on its state championship soccer team. After graduating, he earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in history from Dartmouth College in 1988. After college, he taught English and economics in Zimbabwe. Stein went on to earn degrees from Harvard Law School and the Kennedy School of Government.

Early career

In the 1990s, Stein worked as an intern for State Representative Dan Blue. Out of law school, Stein worked for the Self-Help Credit Union and the North Carolina Minority Support Center. After managing John Edwards's 1998 U.S. Senate campaign, According to Edwards official Andrew Young, Elizabeth Edwards prevented her husband from naming Stein his chief of staff in the Senate because he withheld information from her at John's direction.

In 2001, North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper appointed Stein as Senior Deputy Attorney General for Consumer Protection. From 2012 until 2016, he served as of counsel at Smith Moore Leatherwood LLP, a regional law firm.

Stein defeated Republican John Alexander to represent the 16th district in the North Carolina Senate in 2008. After being reelected in 2010, he was elected minority whip by his colleagues.

In the Senate, Stein worked to expand the state's DNA database, ban cyberstalking, extend and expand the state's renewable energy tax credit, and improve school safety.

North Carolina Attorney General

In 2016, Stein became the first Jew to win a statewide election in North Carolina. As attorney general, he worked to eliminate North Carolina's backlog of untested sexual assault kits, the nation's largest. This led to arrests in cases involving a 2015 assault and attempted murder in Durham, North Carolina; assaults in 2009 and 2010 in Fayetteville; and a 1993 assault in Winston-Salem.

Stein led the bipartisan effort of state attorneys general to negotiate a national settlement framework with drug companies—manufacturers, distributors, and pharmacy chains—over the nation's opioid epidemic, totaling more than $50 billion. North Carolina's share of the settlement was $1.5 billion. Stein negotiated a memorandum of agreement with the state's counties that ensured the vast majority of the funds would go to prevention, harm reduction, treatment or recovery. Johns Hopkins School of Public Health recognized this partnership as one of the best in the nation.

In 2018, Stein filed a brief with the United States Supreme Court arguing in favor of the Affordable Care Act. In 2019, he became the country's first attorney general to sue e-cigarette manufacturer Juul for unlawful marketing to minors. Stein won multiple settlements with Juul totaling nearly $48 million, setting a standard the rest of the nation followed.

Stein filed briefs supporting medication abortions and opposing restrictions on women from traveling to receive healthcare. He opposed the state's 12-week abortion ban enacted in 2023.

Stein negotiated eight Anti-Robocall Principles with a bipartisan coalition of 51 attorneys general and 12 companies to protect phone users from illegal robocalls. He also launched Operation Silver Shield, an effort to protect older North Carolinians from fraud and scams.

After the COVID-19 pandemic began, Stein won a preliminary injunction against a Charlotte tow company sued for price-gouging and announced the investigation of nine North Carolina–based sellers on Amazon accused of raising prices on coronavirus-related products, including hand sanitizer and N95 masks. Stein won more than $1 million in price-gouging cases.

On August 21, 2021, the legislature voted to remove Stein as its legal representation before the courts after he refused to appeal the findings of a lower court that a North Carolina state law that disenfranchised anyone convicted of a felony was unconstitutional. Stein said he had been waiting for the ruling to be formally filed. Legislative leaders alleged Stein was "slow-walking" the case to allow felons to vote in the next election.

Governor of North Carolina

Election

Main article: 2024 North Carolina gubernatorial election

On January 18, 2023, Stein announced his candidacy for governor of North Carolina in the 2024 election. He was endorsed by Governor Roy Cooper and hundreds of other elected officials and organizations.

On Super Tuesday, Stein advanced to the general election and faced Republican lieutenant governor Mark Robinson. After a CNN report on inflammatory and antisemitic comments Robinson had made on a pornography forum, Stein became the heavy favorite.

Stein won the election by a margin of 14.8%, even as Republican Donald Trump defeated Democrat Kamala Harris by 3.2% in the concurrent 2024 presidential election in North Carolina. Stein had previously won statewide by only 0.54% in 2016 and 0.26% in 2020.

Tenure

On January 1, 2025, Stein was sworn in as the 76th governor of North Carolina, becoming the state's first Jewish governor.

In July 2025, Stein criticized anti-Israel resolutions passed by North Carolina Democrats, saying the state Democratic Party "should focus on issues we’re facing here".

In response to the killing of Iryna Zarutska in Charlotte, Stein called for "more cops on the beat" and for the state legislature to pass a law enforcement package to address vacancies.

Approval ratings

Personal life

Stein is married to Anna Harris Stein. They have three children. He and his family are members of Temple Beth Or, a Reform synagogue in Raleigh. He is a former YMCA basketball and J.C.C. soccer coach. On May 17, 2025, Stein's Chapel Hill High School 1983 state champion boys' soccer team was inducted into the school's Hall of Fame.

Electoral history

;North Carolina Senate

;Attorney general

;Governor

References

References

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9. (October 18, 2016). "Julius Chambers: A Life in the Legal Struggle for Civil Rights". UNC Press Books.
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12. [https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-news-and-observer-nc-senate-distri/136873604/ N.C. SENATE DISTRICT 16]. ''The News and Observer''. October 25, 2008.
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15. he served as Edwards's deputy chief of staff from January 1999 to December 2000.[https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-news-and-observer-helms-takes-aim-at/136872971/ Helms takes aim at court]. ''The News and Observer''. December 2, 2000.
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17. He held that position until his election to the State Senate in 2008.[https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-news-and-observer-sen-josh-stein/136873363/ Sen. Josh Stein - a different seat at the table]. ''The News and Observer''. January 28, 2009.
18. Dalesio, Emery (November 5, 2008). [https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-charlotte-observer-democrats-likely/136876572/ Democrats likely to keep hold of state legislature]. ''The Charlotte Observer''.
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24. Donovan, Chelsea. (January 30, 2019). "Attorney General announces Survivor Act; $6 million to combat rape test kit backlog".
25. DeGrave, Sam. "Attorney General announces $2M grant to begin clearing NC's 15,000 untested rape kits".
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31. (February 27, 2024). "MEMORANDUM OF AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS ON PROCEEDS RELATING TO THE SETTLEMENT OF OPIOID LITIGATION".
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34. (October 23, 2019). "North Carolina the first in the country to file lawsuits against e-cigarette companies".
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36. Ahmed, Nazneen. (December 7, 2023). "Attorney General Josh Stein Announces Additional $7.8 Million from Agreement with Juul".
37. Ahmed, Nazneen. (February 6, 2024). "Attorney General Josh Stein Files Motion for Summary Judgment to Protect Medication Abortion in North Carolina".
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39. (May 17, 2023). "'Every legal option.' NC Attorney General vows to fight new abortion law".
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44. Woodhouse, Dallas. (August 24, 2021). "Lawmakers fire AG Stein for refusing to appeal felon voting ruling". [[John Locke Foundation]].
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48. (April 1, 2023). "NCAE Endorses Attorney General Josh Stein for Governor in 2024".
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51. (September 21, 2024). "Porn site user linked to Mark Robinson also praised Mein Kampf - The …".
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53. (July 29, 2025). "North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein objects to state anti-Israel resolutions, a month after passage". Jewish Insider.
54. (September 9, 2025). "Fatal stabbing of Ukrainian refugee in North Carolina ignites crime debate". [[BBC News]].
55. Koh, Michael. (May 21, 2025). "Governor's Soccer Team Among Inductees into Chapel Hill High School Hall of Fame".