‘The Best Job In Politics’

You’re going to hear a lot about strength from Gov. Josh Stein.

That was the center of his campaign messaging and that will be the theme of his inauguration at the State Capitol on January 11. (Stein, the state’s 76th governor, was sworn in on January 1 but will take the oath again as part of his induction ceremony.) 

“This campaign was about building a stronger North Carolina, and that’s what we’re going to be focused on for the first 90 days and that’s what we’re going to be focused on for the next four years,” Stein told The Assembly in December.

Stein is going to need all the strength he can muster. He inherits a state government looking at a $59.6 billion price tag to rebuild Western North Carolina in the wake of Hurricane Helene. He’ll face a hostile, Republican-dominated legislature that in the waning days of its super majority stripped power from the governor before Stein could even take office. And he’ll have to lead a divided state that elected a Democrat to the governor’s mansion for the eighth time in nine elections, while still helping send Donald Trump to the White House for the second time.

As Stein prepares to give his inauguration address, The Assembly talked to four former North Carolina governors—two Democrats and two Republicans—about the headwinds he is facing and their advice for the newest member of their small fraternity. As former Republican Gov. Jim Martin put it, the exclusive club includes “one nice lady” (Beverly Perdue) and “a bunch of old guys” (himself, Jim Hunt, Mike Easley, Pat McCrory, and now Roy Cooper). 

Hunt did not respond to an interview request and Cooper was still in office when I reported this article. The other four living former governors, who held the job for a total of 24 years, noted its challenges, but spoke warmly of their time as the state’s CEO. 

“He’ll find that this is by far the best job in politics,” said Martin, who also served six terms in the U.S. House. 

Making History

Perdue, a Democrat, said Stein has the tools and experience to tackle the challenges ahead. The Harvard-educated lawyer represented Wake County for four terms in the state Senate before winning the attorney general races in 2016 and 2020. He had already made history as the state’s first Jewish statewide elected official, and now he’ll be North Carolina’s first Jewish governor.

Stein won the governor’s race by handily defeating Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson. The controversial Republican’s campaign was derailed after The Assembly reported that six men said he was a regular customer at Greensboro video porn shops years ago and CNN reported he made disturbing comments on a porn forum. (Robinson denied the allegations in both reports.) Stein won with 55 percent and received more than 3 million votes—more than any other statewide candidate. 

McCrory, a Republican, warned Stein not to count the victory as a mandate.

“He has to make sure his ego doesn’t overestimate his landslide victory because his landslide victory was against the weakest candidate in North Carolina history,” McCrory said. 

From the outset of the campaign, Stein framed himself as a pragmatic leader capable of uniting a broad coalition, in contrast to Robinson whose populist rhetoric and staunch defense of conservative cultural values positioned him as the GOP’s standard-bearer against the left-wing agenda. Much of the campaign was framed as a referendum on Robinson, leaving little debate over policies. 

“He is unfit, unsuitable, unqualified to be governor,” Stein said at a press conference in September. “You cannot talk about other human beings the way he does and lead an entire state.”

Priority one for Stein is building an economy that works for everyone, he told The Assembly. 

“The promise of this state is that where you come from shouldn’t limit how far you can go,” he said in a phone interview. “And that means having good jobs, recruiting good jobs to the state, which I intend to spend a lot of effort on. It means making sure that our workforce continues to be the best in the country. Excellent public schools, great community college system, career and technical education efforts to help people learn the skills that they need to work in a 21st century economy.”

He is also going to continue his work addressing the opioid crisis, a fight he took on as attorney general. Stein joined 52 other state and territorial attorneys general in negotiating the National Opioid Settlement, which was reached in 2021 and 2022 with major pharmaceutical companies. They agreed to pay up to $26 billion to resolve lawsuits over their role in the opioid crisis.

“I’ll also defend people’s fundamental rights to vote, women’s right to exercise reproductive freedoms,” Stein said. “These are issues I campaigned on and will continue to work on as governor.”

The first glimpse of how he plans to achieve his goals will come when he presents his budget in early 2025. Easley, a Democrat, said his proposed budget was always a policy document that laid out his administration’s priorities. It wasn’t just about spending. It was about setting the course for the administration. 

When Easley was elected in 2001, the state was losing jobs in textiles and furniture. He faced a budget shortfall in his first year, forcing him to freeze spending, which slowed his ability to advance his agenda.

“He won’t have that problem,” Easley said about Stein’s first budget proposal, which will be delivered amid a robust state economy. “And that will be a great advantage to him that Cooper is leaving a balanced budget for him.”

While North Carolina’s economy is strong, the state budget was under pressure even before Helene struck. In recent years, the state had a budget surplus, but not in the fiscal year that ended in June. 

“Our state is returning to an era where revenue surpluses and growing cash balances are no longer to be expected,” state budget director Kristin Walker wrote in August. She said she was concerned that “revenues will no longer keep up with population growth and inflation.”

McCrory pointed to unfunded mandates in the state’s pension program and health plan for state employees and teachers. The state also needs a sustainable formula for funding roads that relies less on the gas tax as electric vehicles gain popularity, including some toll roads or toll lanes, he said.

But overwhelmingly the former governors said Stein’s first year in office will be judged on how well he handles the aftermath of Hurricane Helene.

Working With Trump

In late September, Helene swept through Western North Carolina, causing widespread damage and disruption. Catastrophic rainfall and winds triggered historic flooding, especially in cities like Asheville, Swannanoa, and Spruce Pine, where overflowing rivers inundated entire neighborhoods. 

Power outages and road closures caused by landslides hindered recovery efforts. At least 103 people died, with fewer than a dozen still missing. Damages have been estimated at about $60 billion, making Helene the costliest storm in state history.

Stein, who has toured the area several times, said the damage was hard to fathom. People’s homes and businesses were washed down the river. The public infrastructure—water, sewer, roads—was devastated. On his first full day in office last week, Stein traveled to Asheville and signed five executive orders intended to boost the recovery.

While the state has a “rainy day” fund of about $4.5 billion set aside for emergencies and financial downturns, the cost of rebuilding western North Carolina far exceeds it. The entire annual state budget is about $34 billion. Congress approved more than $100 billion in late December for disaster relief for at least six states. The News & Observer reported that $9 billion would go to North Carolina; U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis called the money “a significant downpayment” to rebuild.

“The state of North Carolina does not have the resources to come up with those funds,” Stein said. “The only entity in this country that has the resources to make a meaningful impact on recovery and relief is the federal government.”

Which will mean working with the incoming Trump administration.

“The one thing about President Trump is he blusterers a lot and bluffs a lot and overstates his position a lot to get leverage,” Stein said. “My standard is: will it help North Carolina? And if the answer is yes, I’m going to be right there with them working with them and thanking them. And if the answer is no, I’m going to stand up for North Carolina.”

Stein said he is eager to partner with the federal government. He was pleased to see Vice President-elect JD Vance’s visit to the region in December. That was the first visit by Vance or Trump since an October campaign stop where Trump repeated the falsehood that the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s response was hindered because the agency spent its budget helping people who crossed the border illegally. That claim was debunked by members of both political parties, including U.S. Rep. Chuck Edwards, a Republican who represents the area. 

Easley said the state was still dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Floyd when he took office in 2001. Rebuilding efforts after Helene will probably take decades, he said. But Easley said the crisis offers some common ground for the governor’s office and the legislature.

“If they work well together on that, then that will lead to some mutual trust,” he said. 

But so far, there is little trust.

Inevitable Battles

In November, lawmakers passed SB 382, which was billed as a Hurricane Helene relief bill, but also stripped power from several elected offices Democrats won. The measure was introduced as a committee substitute that barred revisions and passed through both chambers in just two days. Cooper vetoed it, but legislative Republicans overrode his veto by a party-line vote—just as their supermajority ended in December. 

The governor will lose the power to appoint members to the state’s elections board, transferring this authority to the new state auditor, a Republican. Also, Stein will now be required to fill vacancies on the state Supreme Court and Court of Appeals from a list recommended by the political party of the departing judge, which helps ensure a Republican majority on both courts. Democratic Attorney General Jeff Jackson, a Democrat, will be prevented from challenging the constitutionality of legislative actions in court or intervening in lawsuits. 

Cooper and Stein have filed a lawsuit in Wake County to overturn the law. 

“The people of Western North Carolina are desperate for help from their state government,” Stein and Cooper said in a joint statement. “Yet, this bill is a power grab, not hurricane relief.”

None of the former governors were surprised by the move. Each one said the battle between the branches was inevitable.

“I always told my cabinet that the Senate doesn’t like the House, and the House doesn’t like the Senate,” Easley said. “The only thing they agree on is that neither of them likes the governor. That dynamic is always going to be in play.”

McCrory successfully fought his own party when legislators tried to create commissions that took over functions overseen by state agencies directed by the governor. Hunt and Martin joined the lawsuit.

“One day, the Republicans will likely take control of the governor’s office again, and if the balance of power has shifted too far toward the legislature, they will regret what they’ve done,” McCrory said. “It’s a short-term strategy that ultimately undermines the long-term health of the state.”

Martin said the Republican legislature has come up with some “new wrinkles” over the last eight years, all of which Stein is familiar with because of his time as attorney general.

“I would expect over the next four to eight years, however it might be, he will be dealing with his legislative agenda, defending his office from the pretensions of the General Assembly, regardless of who’s in the majority,” Martin said.

The scorched-earth nature of American politics makes every issue a death match now, but governing requires compromise. Stein talked about how compromise can lead to good policy, and pledged to do his part during a speech to Wilmington business owners in June. He told them the only way to make policy is to listen to all perspectives and compromise.

“There are tough issues and there is no monopoly on the truth in either party or in any one person,” Stein said, adding that making policy is “hard, complicated work. It takes time. It takes patience and it takes a willingness to listen.”

Easley thinks Stein is uniquely qualified to build coalitions to further his agenda.

“Most people believe that Republicans want to ruin the state, and that Democrats want to ruin the state,” Easley said. “But I think Gov. Stein sees things differently. He understands that both parties are operating from different ideologies, but with the shared goal of making things better—just in different ways. With that mindset, I think there’s always a way to find common ground, and he’ll certainly seek it out.”

As attorney general, Stein helped cleared a statewide backlog of nearly 12,000 untested rape kits and tackled the opioid and fentanyl crisis in partnership with Republican lawmakers. What Stein wants to do—increase economic opportunity, improve education, and make communities safe—are not partisan issues, he argued, adding that he plans to find common ground.

“They’re not Democratic issues, they’re not Republican issues,” Stein told The Assembly. “They’re North Carolina issues. And so I’m optimistic that we will be able to find common ground on a lot of these. No party has a monopoly on good ideas or necessarily the right approach. So, we’ll work together.”

But the “what” is the easy part. The “how” is where it gets tricky.

‘Leadership Should Be Joyful Too’

All four former governors know the feeling of taking the oath of office and leading the Old North State. They spoke fondly of their tenure and were happy to share some advice with the new governor. While some gravitated to policy with their advice, others had some simple tips. 

Perdue urged Stein to enjoy it.

“It’s not all about fixing problems,” she said. “Leadership should be joyful too. When I was governor, I would meet people all across the state, from all walks of life. It was amazing to hear people’s stories.”

Martin advised Stein to pick his battles. 

“I’d say look for opportunities to compromise,” he said. “Don’t fight every issue—pick the six or 10 biggest things to focus on this year and try to find allies across party lines to work with.”

He also urged Stein to think about his family and the toll of being governor takes on those closest to you. (Stein, 58, is married with three adult children.) Martin appointed his wife to his scheduling committee to safeguard his family time. 

“A piece of advice I got from Jim Hunt when I took office was to always save Sundays for your family,” Martin said. “If you don’t, people will want you everywhere and you’ll have no family time.”

While the tips come from experience, this is a different North Carolina than the one the former governors led. It is also a different political culture. Nuance is extinct.

“I’m the old-school politician,” Perdue said. “That integrity and honor and following the rules was just the litmus test for anybody to be elected. But he cannot get bogged down with that. His focus has to be the common denominators that bind us together as people in North Carolina rather than divide us.”

That’s going to take a lot of strength. Every governor says he wants to work with the General Assembly, but lawmakers have their own priorities. Stein’s beating a flawed candidate like Robinson was one thing, but persuading Republican legislators with the upper hand is another. 

“We’ve got to be able to come together in service of the people of North Carolina,” Stein said, “and I’m committed to doing everything in my power to do just that.”