Welcome to the governor’s race edition of our Under the Dome politics newsletter. I’m Dawn Vaughan, The News & Observer’s Capitol bureau chief. I’ve been writing the governor’s race newsletter every Sunday for months now, and focus on the two major party candidates: Democratic Attorney General Josh Stein and Republican Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson.
But they’re not the only ones running. There are three third-party candidates on your ballots, too: Libertarian Mike Ross, Michael Wayne Turner of the Green Party and Vinny Smith of the Constitution Party.
I sent all five candidates our governor’s race questionnaire for our News & Observer and Charlotte Observer Voter Guide. Robinson and Ross have not responded as I write this on Friday afternoon, but the three other candidates did, and we’ve already published their answers. We asked all the gubernatorial candidates the same questions, which include their biography, policy positions and how they’ll work with other statewide elected officials.
Candidates’ answers about NC business
Here’s a sample of their answers to our question about maintaining or improving North Carolina’s business climate:
Josh Stein, Democratic Party: “I believe in the promise of North Carolina that if you work hard, where you come from should never limit how far you can go. Instead of waging job-killing culture wars like my opponent, I’ll keep fighting to invest in our people. I will ensure small businesses are set up for success and strengthen career and technical education, especially in our state’s growing, high-demand industries. Finally, I will prioritize infrastructure investments like broadband, roads and railroads.”
Democratic candidate for NC governor, Josh Stein, answers our questions
Michael Wayne Turner, Green Party: “A business climate should be tailored to attract businesses that (1) pay their employees a living wage and benefits; (2) do not degrade the environment; and (3) do not siphon profits away from the state. Such businesses will produce long-term economic and social benefits to the people. To attract businesses that can meet these requirements, my administration would emphasize the production of a widely educated and politically conscious workforce.”
Green Party candidate for NC governor, Michael Wayne Turner, answers our questions
Vinny Smith, Constitution Party: “Work towards less government regulations and come up with a phased approach to end property tax, which will encourage business owners/corporations to establish their business in N.C. because owners, and executives/employees would pay less in tax and actually own their homes.”
Constitution Party candidate for NC governor, Vinny Smith, answers our questions
You can read their answers to all our questions, plus questionnaires from candidates in other races, in our Voter Guide.
Robinson didn’t vote on Helene emergency
Multiple new polls were released this past week about the governor’s race, including the first one conducted after the CNN report that tied Robinson to pornographic, racist and antisemitic comments, which he denies. East Carolina University’s poll showed a significant drop for Robinson, who is far behind Stein.
Robinson was back out on the campaign trail Friday, meeting with voters and posting photos of himself on social media criticizing the government’s response to Hurricane Helene. As a member of the Council of State, Robinson was expected to vote with the other nine members, including Gov. Roy Cooper, to declare a state of emergency to respond to Hurricane Helene. But Robinson did not vote, CBS 17 reported, and posted on social media that his vote “didn’t matter” because it would have passed regardless.
One of the few responsibilities of the lieutenant governor is to attend Council of State meetings and vote on statewide declarations like the one he skipped. Council of State members receive six figure salaries from the taxpayers.
Stay informed about #ncpol
Don’t forget to follow our Under the Dome tweets and listen to our Under the Dome podcast to stay up to date. Our new episode posts Monday morning, and I’m joined by News & Observer environment and climate change reporter Adam Wagner to talk about Helene. If you want to learn more about how political polling works, catch up on this past week’s episode, too, when I interviewed Jason Husser of Elon University Poll.
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