Josh Stein’s Fighting Start
Josh Stein’s announcement signals a different kind of Democratic campaign for Governor: an aggressive fight over values.
Values usually are Republican turf, but Stein seized that ground.
From the get-go, he defines his likely opponent, Mark Robinson, as having the wrong values for North Carolina today.
Stein’s start promises Democrats the kind of tough, inspiring campaign they hunger for – and didn’t get in 2022.
His announcement video ties traditional Democratic issues – jobs, education, health care and fairness – to a fight against the “divisions,” “hate” and “bigotry” of Donald Trump and Robinson.
The video begins with the 1971 firebombing of the Charlotte civil-rights law firm of Julius Chambers, James Ferguson and Adam Stein, Josh’s father. It was North Carolina’s first integrated law firm.
The opening shows us where Stein comes from, his values.
“Today there is a different set of bomb-throwers,” he then says, over video of the January 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol
We see video of Robinson and Trump together. Then come clips of Robinson’s greatest hits: “God calls men, not women, to leadership positions” and “homosexuality … yes, I call it filth.”
Stein takes him head-on: “Robinson wants to tell you who you can marry, when you’ll be pregnant and who you should hate.”
North Carolinians don’t mind electing bomb-throwers, like a Jesse Helms, to Congress. That’s why Republicans have won 14 of the 18 Senate races since 1972.
After all, how much damage can one person out of 535 do?
But the Governor can do a lot of damage – or a lot of good.
That’s why Democrats have won nine of the 13 Governors’ races since 1972 – and seven of the last eight.
Stein has been elected attorney general twice, even though Trump carried North Carolina both times.
He gets A+ on this start.
A point of pride: The producer of Stein’s video is Jason Ralston, who did ads for Governor Jim Hunt in the ‘90s. I taught him everything he knows, of course.
Josh Stein’s Fighting Start
Josh Stein’s announcement signals a different kind of Democratic campaign for Governor: an aggressive fight over values.
Values usually are Republican turf, but Stein seized that ground.
From the get-go, he defines his likely opponent, Mark Robinson, as having the wrong values for North Carolina today.
Stein’s start promises Democrats the kind of tough, inspiring campaign they hunger for – and didn’t get in 2022.
His announcement video ties traditional Democratic issues – jobs, education, health care and fairness – to a fight against the “divisions,” “hate” and “bigotry” of Donald Trump and Robinson.
The video begins with the 1971 firebombing of the Charlotte civil-rights law firm of Julius Chambers, James Ferguson and Adam Stein, Josh’s father. It was North Carolina’s first integrated law firm.
The opening shows us where Stein comes from, his values.
“Today there is a different set of bomb-throwers,” he then says, over video of the January 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol
We see video of Robinson and Trump together. Then come clips of Robinson’s greatest hits: “God calls men, not women, to leadership positions” and “homosexuality … yes, I call it filth.”
Stein takes him head-on: “Robinson wants to tell you who you can marry, when you’ll be pregnant and who you should hate.”
North Carolinians don’t mind electing bomb-throwers, like a Jesse Helms, to Congress. That’s why Republicans have won 14 of the 18 Senate races since 1972.
After all, how much damage can one person out of 535 do?
But the Governor can do a lot of damage – or a lot of good.
That’s why Democrats have won nine of the 13 Governors’ races since 1972 – and seven of the last eight.
Stein has been elected attorney general twice, even though Trump carried North Carolina both times.
He gets A+ on this start.
A point of pride: The producer of Stein’s video is Jason Ralston, who did ads for Governor Jim Hunt in the ‘90s. I taught him everything he knows, of course.