If you’ve been scrolling through your news feed lately wondering who is the new governor of North Carolina, you aren’t alone. The 2024 election was, quite frankly, a total whirlwind. Politics in the Tar Heel state is rarely boring, but this cycle was on another level of intense. After eight years of Roy Cooper, the keys to the Executive Mansion in Raleigh have officially changed hands.
Josh Stein is the new governor of North Carolina.
He didn't just win; he kind of crushed it. Stein, the former Attorney General, stepped into the role on January 1, 2025, after a campaign that felt more like a Hollywood script than a local election. He’s the state’s 76th governor and, notably, the first Jewish person to ever hold the office in North Carolina history.
The Wild Race That Put Josh Stein in Office
Honestly, if you missed the lead-up to this, you missed a lot of drama. Stein was up against the Republican Lieutenant Governor Mark Robinson. For a while, it looked like it might be a nail-biter. North Carolina is a "purple" state, after all—the kind of place where people often vote for a Republican president and a Democratic governor on the same ballot.
But then things got weird.
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A series of reports, most notably a massive investigation by CNN, linked Robinson to some pretty graphic and controversial comments made on a pornographic forum years ago. Robinson denied it, of course, but the political damage was basically a sinking ship. While the presidential race in North Carolina was tight, the governor’s race turned into a blowout. Stein won by nearly 15 points. That is a massive margin for a state where elections are usually decided by a hair's breadth.
A Different Kind of Inauguration
When Stein was sworn in on New Year’s Day 2025, it wasn't just a party. He took the oath with his hand on an 1891 Tanakh. It was a quiet, solemn moment in the Old Senate Chamber before the bigger, flashier celebrations happened a few days later.
Stein’s transition has been pretty smooth, mostly because he worked so closely with Roy Cooper for years. He was Cooper’s Deputy Attorney General back in the day and then took over the Attorney General spot when Cooper became governor in 2017. They’re basically political soulmates.
What the New Governor is Actually Doing Right Now
So, now that he’s in the big chair, what’s the plan? If you look at what’s happening in Raleigh right now in early 2026, Stein is juggling a lot. He didn't get a "honeymoon phase."
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- The Western NC Recovery: This is the big one. Hurricane Helene hit the mountains hard in late 2024, and the recovery is still the top priority. Stein has been spending a ton of time in D.C. lately, basically begging Congress for more money. He recently pointed out that while the feds have sent about $7 billion, that only covers about 12% of the actual damage.
- The Battle Over Schools: Stein wants to give teachers a massive raise—about 10% on average. He’s also pushing for "cell phone-free classrooms," a law that actually just went into effect this month (January 2026). The idea is to get kids off TikTok and back into their textbooks.
- The Legislative Grinder: Here is the catch. Even though Stein won big, the North Carolina General Assembly (the guys who make the laws) is still controlled by Republicans. They have a supermajority, which means they can often override Stein’s vetoes. It’s a constant tug-of-war.
Why This Matters to You
If you live in North Carolina, Stein’s "new" status is starting to wear off, and his actual policies are hitting home. For example, if you have a kid in public school, those new phone restrictions are his doing. If you’re a business owner in Asheville, his ability to squeeze money out of the federal government is basically your lifeline.
He’s also leaning hard into workforce development. Just last week, Site Selection Magazine ranked North Carolina as the top state for workforce development in 2026. Stein has been taking victory laps on that, arguing that his focus on community colleges and trade schools is why the state’s economy hasn’t tanked.
The Big Issues for 2026 and Beyond
Looking ahead, the "newness" of the Stein administration is going to be tested by some pretty heavy-duty issues.
Reproductive Rights
This was a cornerstone of his campaign. Stein has vowed to protect abortion access and IVF, but he’s facing a legislature that wants to go in the opposite direction. Expect a lot of court battles here.
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Energy and the Environment
North Carolina is trying to move toward clean energy, but it’s expensive and politically messy. Stein is pushing for more wind and solar, while some in the legislature are worried about rising power bills.
The 2026 Midterms
We’re already seeing the gears turn for the next election cycle. How Stein handles the budget this year will likely dictate whether Democrats can break the Republican supermajority in the state house.
The Man Behind the Desk
Who is Josh Stein, really? He’s a Harvard-educated lawyer, the son of a famous civil rights attorney, and he spent two years teaching English in Zimbabwe. He’s not a "firebrand" speaker. He’s more of a policy nerd—calm, measured, and very focused on data.
Some people find that boring. Others find it a huge relief after the chaos of the last few years.
What You Can Do Next
Now that you're caught up on who is the new governor of North Carolina and what his deal is, you might want to stay in the loop on how his decisions actually affect your wallet and your community.
- Check the recovery progress: If you’re interested in the mountain recovery, you can follow the NC Department of Public Safety’s Helene dashboard for real-time data on where that $7 billion is actually going.
- Track the budget: The state budget for 2025-2027 is still a point of contention. Keep an eye on local news in May and June when the General Assembly does its heavy lifting.
- Reach out: The Governor’s office actually has a pretty responsive constituent services team. If you have a specific issue with a state agency, you can submit a request directly through the official governor.nc.gov portal.
- Follow the laws: If you’re a student or parent, make sure you know your specific school’s policy on the new cell phone ban that started this month. Each district handles it slightly differently, but the "phone-free" mandate is now the state standard.
The transition from Cooper to Stein wasn't a radical shift in philosophy, but the challenges of 2026 are definitely putting the new governor to the test. Whether you voted for him or not, his success in Washington and his battles in Raleigh will define what North Carolina looks like for the next decade.