Charlotte Ledger Election Hub
2024 N.C. General Election Voter Guide:
Everything On Your Ballot
North Carolina Governor Candidates
The N.C. Governor “has veto power over bills passed by the legislature, has pardon power in state prisons, and decides how state government buildings, vehicles and operations impact the environment. They appoint members of the State Board of Education and State Board of Elections. The Governor alone has the power to declare a state of emergency and request federal funding after severe weather events.”
This closely watched North Carolina race is expected to be tight. A parallel may be the 2016 gubernatorial election in which the Democratic attorney general (Roy Cooper) faced another Republican Council of State member (Pat McCrory). Cooper won that election by 11,000 votes, or a 0.3% margin. There was one third-party candidate in that election, a Libertarian, who received 2% of the vote. There are three alternative party candidates in this election.
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Mark Robinson
REPUBLICAN
Robinson had little political experience prior to being a surprise winner in the Republican primary for lieutenant governor in 2020. He served in the Army reserves and held a number of different jobs as a factory and restaurant shift worker. His claim to fame is that he gave a short impassioned speech about conservative ideology in which he advocated for 2nd Amendment freedoms to the Greensboro City Council in April 2018. That speech made its way to YouTube and was well-received by conservatives as he critiqued the “loonies on the left.” He often receives press for controversial statements about QAnon, the LGBTQ community and gender roles. While he has had strong anti-abortion views in the past, he has reportedly softened them; he says he now supports the state’s current 12-week bank. A campaign ad has him talking about his wife’s previous abortion. If elected, he would be North Carolina’s first Black governor. He completed a bachelor’s degree from UNC Greensboro in 2022 while he was the N.C. lieutenant governor. (Age 55)
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Mike Ross
LIBERTARIAN
Ross is a certified financial planner and a longtime Charlotte-area resident. He says he is running “to strip away the bureaucratic lard wrapped in an administrative nightmare.” The top two issues listed on his website are transparent government for the people with a mandate for public commentary on proposed laws and free-market education with “100% equitable distribution among all the students.” Top issues of the Libertarian platform such as privacy and “personal relationships” (including LGBTQ+ equality) are not mentioned on his site. His website domain name is “firetheuniparty.com.” In an email to The Charlotte Ledger/The Assembly, he said he is running “to “Fire the Uniparty”: the “‘lesser of two evils’ argument is leaving us with poor leadership and the inability to control what’s best for us, financially and through our life’s pursuits.” He has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Phoenix. (Age ~41)
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Vinny Smith
CONSTITUTION CANDIDATE
Smith is a small business owner who runs the North Carolina Esports Academy in Cary with his son. His platform advocates protecting “all life without exception,” phasing out property taxes, protecting veterans, providing mandatory health and nutrition classes for K-12 as a way to improve healthcare and giving parents control over immunizations. He is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and father of two. He voted in the Libertarian primary in 2020. (Age ~54)
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Josh Stein
DEMOCRAT
Stein is the current state attorney general and the son of a Charlotte civil rights lawyer. On his website, he says that he has “taken on powerful special interests,” such as Duke Energy with a coal ash settlement and Juul, “winning $40 million” to fight teen vaping. The top priorities he lists on his website for this election are to make the economy work for everyone (by lowering costs of medicine, groceries and housing), improving education (meaningful teacher pay raises and more investment in critical staff like nurses and bus drivers) , building a strong workforce (supporting no-cost community college), keeping North Carolinians safe (investing in law enforcement) and addressing affordable housing. He has been endorsed by Gov. Roy Cooper. According to Transparency USA, he has substantially outraised his opponents (as of mid-August 2024). If elected, he would be North Carolina’s first Jewish governor. Stein is a graduate of Dartmouth College and Harvard Law School. (Age 57)
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Wayne Turner
GREEN CANDIDATE
Turner is a “former engineer and plant manager” who says he has been involved with the Green party for decades. This is his first time running for office. On his website, he says he will advocate for "fair pay and benefits for employees" as well as "worker cooperatives" and "state-owned public banks." Regarding education, he wants "stricter charter school laws" as well as a number of environmental issues like funding the N.C. Dept of Environmental Quality, restricting wetland development and reducing chemical spills into streams and rivers. He also wants to "abolish prisons" and "repeal right-to-work" laws. He is a graduate of N.C. State University and lives in Pittsboro. (Age ~69)
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