North Carolina has a reputation for being "kinda weird" when it comes to politics. If you looked at the raw numbers from the 2024 cycle, you’d probably scratch your head. How does a state hand its 16 electoral votes to a Republican for the third time in a row while simultaneously electing a Democratic governor by a staggering 15-point margin?
It’s the ultimate political paradox.
Basically, the north carolina governor and presidential vote 2024 proved that the "split-ticket" voter isn't a myth. They're alive, well, and currently running the show in the Tar Heel State. While Donald Trump maintained his grip on the state's presidential preference, Josh Stein didn't just win the governor’s mansion—illegally or otherwise—he absolutely dominated it.
The Trump-Stein Divide Explained
If you’re trying to make sense of the north carolina governor and presidential vote 2024, you have to look at the massive gap in performance between the top of the ticket and the state-level races. Donald Trump won North Carolina with 50.9% of the vote. It wasn't a landslide, but it was a clear 3.3% margin over Kamala Harris.
Then you look at the governor's race.
Josh Stein, the Democratic Attorney General, pulled in 54.9% of the vote. His opponent, Republican Lieutenant Governor Mark Robinson, trailed far behind at 40.1%. Think about that for a second. There is a massive chunk of people—hundreds of thousands of them—who bubbled in the circle for Trump and then immediately skipped over to Stein.
Why the massive split?
Honestly, it came down to candidate quality. While Trump has a solidified base in NC that likes his brand of populism, Mark Robinson’s campaign was basically a walking PR disaster. He was already a controversial figure, but when the CNN report dropped alleging he’d made graphic and incendiary comments on a pornographic forum years ago, the floor fell out.
👉 See also: Why Trump's West Point Speech Still Matters Years Later
Moderate Republicans and unaffiliated voters in the Raleigh and Charlotte suburbs weren't having it.
They felt comfortable with Stein. He ran a campaign focused on his record as Attorney General, particularly his work on the opioid crisis and clearing the state's backlog of rape kits. He felt "safe." Robinson, by contrast, felt like a bridge too far for suburban moms and the "country club" Republican set.
What Really Happened Down-Ballot
It wasn't just the governor’s race that went sideways for the GOP. If you check the Council of State results, North Carolina basically looks like a checkerboard.
Democrats picked up the Lieutenant Governor’s office with Rachel Hunt and kept the Secretary of State seat with Elaine Marshall. Jeff Jackson, a Democrat who became a TikTok sensation for his "straight talk" videos, won the Attorney General race.
But then, Republicans swept other key positions.
- State Treasurer: Brad Briner (R) won.
- State Auditor: Dave Boliek (R) won.
- Commissioner of Agriculture: Steve Troxler (R) held on easily.
This tells us that North Carolinians aren't voting for a "team" anymore. They are shopping for individuals. They’ll take a Republican to manage the money and the farms, but they want a Democrat to handle the schools (Mo Green won the Superintendent race) and the legal system.
✨ Don't miss: Johnny Somali AI Deepfake: What Really Happened in South Korea
The Myth of the "Blue Wave" vs. "Red Wall"
A lot of national pundits tried to frame North Carolina as a state on the verge of flipping blue for Harris. They were wrong.
The north carolina governor and presidential vote 2024 showed that the "Red Wall" in rural NC is still incredibly thick. Trump’s margins in places like Gaston County or the coastal plains are enough to offset the massive Democratic turnout in Wake and Mecklenburg.
However, the GOP failed to achieve a "Red Wave" because they lost the suburbs.
The state legislature results are the best evidence of this. For the last couple of years, Republicans held a "supermajority," meaning they could override any veto from the governor. In 2024, Democrats managed to break that supermajority in the House by exactly one seat.
One seat.
That changes the entire power dynamic in Raleigh for the next two years.
🔗 Read more: Sweden School Shooting 2025: What Really Happened at Campus Risbergska
How Hurricane Helene Shifted the Energy
We can't talk about the north carolina governor and presidential vote 2024 without mentioning the devastation in Western North Carolina. Hurricane Helene hit just weeks before the election, and there was a lot of talk about whether it would suppress the vote in heavily Republican mountain counties.
It didn't.
Actually, the North Carolina State Board of Elections (NCSBE) moved mountains—literally—to make sure people could vote. They set up temporary sites and adjusted rules for absentee ballots. Turnout in the disaster zones was surprisingly high.
There was a sense of "we won't let this stop us." It also gave outgoing Governor Roy Cooper and Attorney General Josh Stein a chance to show "governing competence," which likely helped Stein’s "steady hand" narrative in the final stretch.
The First Jewish Governor in NC History
Lost in the noise of the presidential results is a pretty historic fact: Josh Stein is the first Jewish person ever elected to lead North Carolina.
In a state that’s part of the Bible Belt, that’s a big deal. It signals a shift in the cultural landscape of the South. The "New South" isn't just a catchy phrase; it's a reality where a candidate's faith or background is secondary to their perceived ability to do the job without causing a daily scandal.
Actionable Insights for the Next Two Years
So, what does this actually mean for you if you live in North Carolina or just follow the news?
- Gridlock is coming back: With the supermajority broken in the House, Governor Stein will actually have the power to use his veto pen. Expect a lot of stalemates on big issues like school vouchers and further abortion restrictions.
- The "Robinson Effect" is a warning: The NC GOP is currently in a soul-searching phase. Expect a shift toward more "boring," establishment-style candidates in the 2026 midterms to avoid the catastrophic losses seen in 2024.
- Watch the Courts: Since the legislature can’t always bypass the governor anymore, the fight is going to move to the North Carolina Supreme Court. Legal challenges will be the primary way policy gets made.
- Register Unaffiliated: If you want your vote to carry the most weight in NC, join the nearly 38% of voters who are Unaffiliated. In this state, the "middle" is where the power sits.
North Carolina is officially the most "purple" state in the union. It’s a place where people are perfectly fine with a Republican President and a Democratic Governor sharing the same ballot. It's messy, it's complicated, and honestly, it's exactly how North Carolina likes it.