2024 North Carolina Governor Race Preview

There are few gubernatorial elections in presidential years, but the contentious 2024 North Carolina governor race will make up for it.

North Carolinians will elect a new governor in November 2024, as the incumbent, Democrat Roy Cooper, cannot seek a third term. The race to succeed him will end up being one of the most bitterly-fought in the entire nation.

2024 North Carolina Governor Race Preview

Our look at this race was updated on September 28 with new information, polling, and yes, controversies.

While North Carolina is a red state on paper, when one breaks down the numbers, for certain, there are redder states in America than this one. A Democrat has not carried it for president since Barack Obama in 2008, and before that, it was Jimmy Carter in 1976. However, as much as this state seems to reject the Democrats at the presidential level, it was electing mostly Democratic governors dating back to the Carter era. North Carolina has had just two Republican governors since the mid-1970s, and one of them was Pat McCrory. He was elected in 2012 and chased out after one controversial term in 2016 by Roy Cooper.

See our latest prediction on this and all gubernatorial elections on our predictions page.

2024 North Carolina Governor Candidates

Links to the candidate websites are included below (if available) – links open in same tab, and do not click on links you do not trust.

A Few Notes: NC Governor 2024

We all know that the presidential race (now sans Biden), the economy, and abortion will be issues people mention in this election. With the nationalization of politics in the United States, it should come as no surprise.

However, the contrast between the main candidates themselves will also be as clear as day. Mark Robinson, the state’s lieutenant governor, has a lengthy history of inflammatory comments. The state’s attorney general and Democratic nominee, Josh Stein, has used those words against him, which he contests. Robinson also boasts a very conservative set of social opinions, which is nowhere near where Stein lands. The attorney general is running on a pro-choice, affordable health care platform.