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Josh Stein wins North Carolina governor’s race, defeating Mark Robinson, CBS News projects
Washington — Josh Stein, the North Carolina attorney general, will defeat Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson in the state’s gubernatorial race, CBS News projects.
Stein, a Democrat, is set to become the first Jewish governor in the state’s history, and previously served in the state Senate before becoming attorney general. His projected victory comes as his opponent was roiled in scandal, with a slew of inflammatory comments unearthed on a number of topics since the campaign began.
Robinson, who gained prominence in Republican circles after he delivered a viral pro-gun rights speech, has made inflammatory comments across a number of topics — from Islam to abortion to feminism — but he’s been especially vocal on LGBTQ+ issues.
Since the primary, Robinson’s campaign had been marred by the resurgence of posts he’s made online, which spurred concern among Republicans about their nominee’s prospects in the coming election. Then, in September, a CNN investigation shook the gubernatorial race, tying Robinson to a slew of incendiary, explicit and racist comments on a pornographic website more than a decade ago. Robinson denied the CNN report, while insisting that he wouldn’t drop out of the race.
Robinson, who would have been the first Black governor of North Carolina, was endorsed by former President Donald Trump ahead of the primary, who called him “Martin Luther King on steroids.” In the aftermath of the CNN report, the GOP largely distanced itself from the lieutenant governor, while Robinson lost campaign staff, and ad buys for him were not renewed.
With the projected victory, Stein is set to replace Gov. Roy Cooper, a term-limited Democrat. Democrats have frequently won gubernatorial races in North Carolina, but Republicans were eager to flip the governor’s mansion this year, with voters having elected Republicans to a number of statewide offices in recent years.
North Carolina is a major battleground state this cycle, with among the closest margins of any state Trump won in 2020. At the time, Trump’s victory seemed to set up Republican victories down the ticket. But experts have questioned whether Robinson’s presence on the ticket could hurt the former president this year.
A couple in their 70s who served as election poll workers were among at least five people killed in Missouri after torrential rains caused flash flooding across the state.
Up to 8 inches of rain fell over two days in parts of Missouri, leading to widespread flooding and dozens of water rescues. It was part of a storm system that also spawned tornadoes in Oklahoma and Arkansas.
In Wright County, Missouri, a county of about 19,000 residents 210 miles southeast of Kansas City, a 70-year-old man and 73-year-old woman were in a vehicle swept away by flooding at Beaver Creek around 4:30 a.m. Tuesday, the state patrol said. The bodies of the couple from Manes, Missouri, were found more than four hours later.
Wright County Clerk Loni Pedersen confirmed that both of the people who died were poll workers.
“This is a tragic loss for Wright County,” Pedersen said in an email. “They were dedicated citizens who valued fair and honest elections.”
Three people in two other cars swept away by the fast-rising creek were able to swim to safety, the patrol said.
Missouri State Highway Patrol via AP
Two other deaths were reported in St. Louis County. Firefighters were called Tuesday morning after a submerged SUV was spotted near flooded Gravois Creek, near Interstate 55. Crews broke through the sunroof and pulled out a woman, who was pronounced dead, Lemay Fire Protection District spokesperson Jason Brice said.
Hours later, a man’s body was found in the same flooded creek, Brice said. Authorities were investigating how the body got there. Fire crews rescued 10 other people from flooded vehicles, Brice said.
On Monday, Missouri state troopers recovered a 66-year-old man’s body after a car was swept off a bridge in Ironton, about 90 miles (145 kilometers) south of St. Louis.
The National Weather Service said four likely tornadoes, and possibly more, touched down in parts of Oklahoma and Arkansas on Monday. There were no reports of deaths or injuries from the tornadoes.
Keli Cain, spokesperson for the Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management, said assessments of the damage were underway.
The storms struck a day after tornadoes injured at least 11 people in the Oklahoma City area in central Oklahoma.
Cain said the department worked with the Oklahoma State Election Board to ensure that polling places were not disrupted.
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