Primary voters choosing potential successor to Gov. Roy Cooper

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) — North Carolina primary voters were choosing potential successors to term-limited Gov. Roy Cooper on Tuesday, with the Democratic attorney general and the Republican lieutenant governor among those seeking to advance to what is expected to be an expensive and competitive fall campaign.

Five Democrats and three Republicans were competing for their parties’ gubernatorial nominations in the nation’s ninth-largest state, which is also a likely presidential battleground this year.

Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, State Treasurer Dale Folwell and trial attorney Bill Graham are seeking the GOP nomination. The Democratic field includes Attorney General Josh Stein – who received Cooper’s endorsement – former state Supreme Court Justice Mike Morgan and three other candidates who’ve spent very little.

Robinson, who would be the state’s first Black governor, formally received former President Donald Trump’s endorsement during the weekend at a rally. Trump called him “Martin Luther King on steroids,” comparing his speaking abilities to those of the late civil rights leader.

Robinson has consistently been the Republican frontrunner in the race, but recently his opponents have been hitting the airwaves challenging some of his more controversial comments.

North Carolina is poised to be one of the most competitive states this fall as President Joe Biden and Trump appear headed toward a likely rematch. The governor’s race could have implications for the presidential contest if Democrats can tap into controversies surrounding Trump and Robinson to portray the Republicans as out of step with the state’s urban areas and with unaffiliated voters, who are now the state’s largest voting group.

Cooper, a Democrat first elected governor in 2016, has continued a long run of Democratic dominance in the governor’s mansion in a Southern state that otherwise has shifted rightward. The GOP has won only one gubernatorial race since 1992.

A general election victory by a Republican would essentially neuter veto power that Cooper has used a record number of times to block additional abortion restrictions, stricter requirements for voters and other policies backed by conservatives. GOP legislators have been able to override many of Cooper’s vetoes, however.

Robinson, who has a working-class background, is a favorite of the party’s GOP base. While he raised more money overall than primary rivals, Folwell and Graham have used personal funds toward late-campaign media buys. They’ve questioned Robinson’s general-election electability, particularly in light of his rhetoric while lieutenant governor and for comments he made on social media before entering politics.

Stein, the son of a civil rights lawyer, is by far the largest fundraiser in the race. His campaign committee collected more than $19.1 million and had $12.7 million in cash in mid-February, according to the most recent campaign report summaries filed.

“I’m excited. Election days are always great because it’s an opportunity for people to choose the government, the people who represent them,” Stein said. “And I’m excited about the campaign we’re running. It’s about building a brighter future for North Carolina to deliver on the promise of our state to our people, which is that if you work hard, you can succeed no matter where you live in this state.”

Stein, who would be the state’s first Jewish governor if elected, would largely seek to continue Cooper’s agenda to increase public education funding and promote clean energy industries. The former state legislator was narrowly elected attorney general in 2016 and has focused recently on protecting citizens from polluters, illegal drugs and high electric bills.

“What service is all about trying to help people live the life that they want,” Stein said. “And we can help people have better schools, safer communities and an economy that works for everybody. That’s what my campaign is about. That’s what I want to do as governor. And that’s a message that works for people who are Republican, who are Democratic or who are unaffiliated.”

Robinson, who is already the state’s first Black lieutenant governor, has dismissed what the left calls climate change as “junk science,” and has fought teachers who he says have assigned inappropriate reading materials on racism and sexuality to young pupils. Robinson has said making education leaders accountable and teaching students the basics are among his policy goals if elected.

Before Tuesday, more than 690,000 people had cast early in-person and mail-in ballots in North Carolina, where voters also were choosing nominees for other statewide executive and appellate court positions.

ABC11’s Anthony Wilson and The Associated Press contributed.