Joshua Harold Stein (born September 13, 1966) is an American lawyer and politician who has served as the 76th

governor of North Carolina The governor of North Carolina is the head of government of the United States, U.S. state of North Carolina. Seventy-five people have held the office since the first state governor, Richard Caswell, took office in 1777. The governor serves a ...

since 2025. A member of the Democratic Party, Stein served from 2017 to 2025 as the 51st

attorney general of North Carolina The attorney general of North Carolina is a statewide elected office in the United States, U.S. state of North Carolina. The attorney general is a state constitutional officer, constitutional officer responsible for representing state agencies i ...

and from 2009 to 2016 in the

North Carolina Senate The North Carolina Senate is the Upper house, upper chamber of the North Carolina General Assembly, which along with the North Carolina House of Representatives—the lower chamber—comprises the state legislature of North Carolina. The Senate ...

. Born in Washington, D.C., Stein moved to

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

with his family at an early age. He studied at

Dartmouth College Dartmouth College ( ) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, Dartmouth is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the America ...

and earned his

Juris Doctor A Juris Doctor, Doctor of Jurisprudence, or Doctor of Law (JD) is a graduate-entry professional degree that primarily prepares individuals to practice law. In the United States and the Philippines, it is the only qualifying law degree. Other j ...

degree from

Harvard Law School Harvard Law School (HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a Private university, private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, Harvard Law School is the oldest law school in continuous operation in the United ...

before being elected to represent

North Carolina's 16th Senate district North Carolina's 16th Senate district is one of 50 districts in the North Carolina Senate. It has been represented by Democratic Party (United States), Democrat Gale Adcock since 2023. Geography Since 2003, the district has included part of Wake ...

in 2008. Stein left the State Senate upon winning the Democratic nomination in the 2016 North Carolina Attorney General election, in which he defeated Republican nominee Buck Newton by 0.54%. He was reelected in

2020 The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...

, narrowly defeating Republican nominee Jim O'Neill by 0.26%. Stein chose not to seek a third term as state attorney general and instead ran for governor in the 2024 election. After winning the Democratic nomination, he defeated Republican nominee Mark Robinson in the general election by 14.82%. He is North Carolina's first Jewish governor.

Early life and education

Stein was born on September 13, 1966, in Washington, D.C., the son of Jane (Stoneman) and Adam Stein. His family moved to

Charlotte, North Carolina Charlotte ( ) is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the county seat of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 United ...

, 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

in 1988.N.C. SENATE DISTRICT 16
''The News and Observer''. October 25, 2008. After college, he taught English and economics in

Zimbabwe file:Zimbabwe, relief map.jpg, upright=1.22, Zimbabwe, relief map Zimbabwe, officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Bots ...

. Stein went on to earn degrees from

and the

Kennedy School of Government The John F. Kennedy School of Government, commonly referred to as Harvard Kennedy School (HKS), is the school of public policy of Harvard University, a private university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Harvard Kennedy School offers master's de ...

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 Johnny Reid Edwards (born June 10, 1953) is an American lawyer and former politician who represented North Carolina in the United States Senate from 1999 to 2005. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the vice presidential nominee under ...

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for Lunar water, frozen water, in soil i ...

U.S. Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and House have the authority under Article One of the ...

campaign, he served as Edwards's deputy chief of staff from January 1999 to December 2000. 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 Roy Asberry Cooper III ( ; born June 13, 1957) is an American attorney and politician who served as the 75th List of governors of North Carolina, governor of North Carolina from 2017 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), De ...

appointed Stein as Senior Deputy Attorney General for Consumer Protection. He held that position until his election to the State Senate in 2008. From 2012 until 2016, he served as

of counsel Of counsel is the title of an attorney in the legal profession of the United States who often has a relationship with a law firm or an organization but is neither an associate nor partner. Some firms use titles such as "counsel", "special couns ...

at Smith Moore Leatherwood LLP, a regional law firm. Stein defeated Republican John Alexander to represent the 16th district in the

in 2008. After being reelected in 2010, he was elected minority

whip A whip is a blunt weapon or implement used in a striking motion to create sound or pain. Whips can be used for flagellation against humans or animals to exert control through pain compliance or fear of pain, or be used as an audible cue thro ...

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 Jewish person 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 Durham ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the county seat of Durham County, North Carolina, Durham County. Small portions of the city limits extend into Orange County, North Carolina, Orange County and Wake County, North Carol ...

; assaults in 2009 and 2010 in Fayetteville; and a 1993 assault in

Winston-Salem Winston-Salem is a city in Forsyth County, North Carolina, United States, and its county seat. At the 2020 census, the population was 249,545, making it the fifth-most populous city in North Carolina and the 91st-most populous city in the Uni ...

. 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 The opioid epidemic, also referred to as the opioid crisis, is the rapid increase in the overuse, misuse or abuse, and overdose deaths attributed either in part or in whole to the class of drugs called opiates or opioids since the 1990s. It inc ...

, 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 The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that turn on question ...

arguing in favor of the

Affordable Care Act The Affordable Care Act (ACA), formally known as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) and informally as Obamacare, is a landmark U.S. federal statute enacted by the 111th United States Congress and signed into law by Presid ...

. In 2019, he became the country's first attorney general to sue e-cigarette manufacturer

Juul Juul Labs, Inc. (, stylized as JUUL Labs) is an American electronic cigarette company headquartered in San Francisco. Its flagship product is the Juul electronic cigarette, which Construction of electronic cigarettes, atomizes nicotine salts d ...

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 The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

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 Amazon most often refers to: * Amazon River, in South America * Amazon rainforest, a rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin * Amazon (company), an American multinational technology company * Amazons, a tribe of female warriors in Greek myth ...

accused of raising prices on

coronavirus Coronaviruses are a group of related RNA viruses that cause diseases in mammals and birds. In humans and birds, they cause respiratory tract infections that can range from mild to lethal. Mild illnesses in humans include some cases of the comm ...

-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

On January 18, 2023, Stein announced his candidacy for

in the 2024 election. He was endorsed by Governor Roy Cooper and hundreds of other elected officials and organizations. On

Super Tuesday Super Tuesday is the United States presidential primary election day in February or March when the greatest number of U.S. states hold primary elections and caucuses. Approximately one-third of all delegates to the presidential nominatin ...

, Stein advanced to the general election and faced Republican

lieutenant governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

Mark Robinson. After a CNN report on inflammatory and

antisemitic Antisemitism or Jew-hatred is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who harbours it is called an antisemite. Whether antisemitism is considered a form of racism depends on the school of thought. Antisemi ...

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 Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...

defeated Democrat

Kamala Harris Kamala Devi Harris ( ; born October 20, 1964) is an American politician and attorney who served as the 49th vice president of the United States from 2021 to 2025 under President Joe Biden. She is the first female, first African American, and ...

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.

Approval ratings

Personal life

Stein is married to

Anna Harris Stein Anna Harris Stein is an American lawyer, public health official, and civic leader. Between 2011 and 2024, she worked as a legal advisor for the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services. On January 1, 2025, as the wife of Governor Jos ...

. They have three children. He and his family are members of Temple Beth Or, a

Reform Reform refers to the improvement or amendment of what is wrong, corrupt, unsatisfactory, etc. The modern usage of the word emerged in the late 18th century and is believed to have originated from Christopher Wyvill's Association movement, which ...

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

External links

Governor Josh Stein
government website
Josh Stein for North Carolina
campaign website * * , - , - , - , - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Stein, Josh 1966 births Living people 21st-century American Jews 21st-century American lawyers 21st-century members of the North Carolina General Assembly American expatriates in Zimbabwe American lawyers American Reform Jews Chapel Hill High School (North Carolina) alumni Dartmouth College alumni Democratic Party governors of North Carolina Democratic Party North Carolina state senators Harvard Kennedy School alumni Harvard Law School alumni Jewish American people in North Carolina politics Jewish state governors of the United States North Carolina attorneys general North Carolina Democrats North Carolina lawyers People from Chapel Hill, North Carolina Politicians from Raleigh, North Carolina