North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein, the 2024 Democratic nominee for governor, gave an acceptance speech on election night.
He defeated his Republican challenger, North Carolina Lieutenant Governor Mark Robinson.
Oh my goodness!
Thank you.
Thank you, thank you so much.
It is a treat to be with you.
Thank you, Governor Cooper, for that very generous introduction.
And thank you, North Carolina.
Tonight, the people of North Carolina resoundingly embraced a vision that's optimistic, forward-looking, and welcoming.
A vision that's about creating opportunity for every North Carolinian.
We chose hope over hate, competence over chaos, decency over division.
That's who we are as North Carolinians.
And I am so honored that you have elected me to be your next governor.
Thank you.
I've got an easy question, and I already know the answer, but I'm going to ask you all anywhere.
Who here like me loves North Carolina?
North Carolina is home.
Home to remarkable natural beauty.
Home to small businesses and Fortune 500 companies.
Home to some of the finest universities and one of the best community college systems in the nation.
And we are home to the best people.
As we celebrate tonight, our hearts are with the folks of Western North Carolina who are still struggling.
Hurricane Helene swept in devastation, destruction, and darkness.
But the goodness of North Carolinians shone through.
Neighbors helping neighbors, people dropping everything to lend a hand.
And by the way, none of those folks cared whether the person they were helping was a Democrat, a Republican, or an Independent.
They just showed up because that's who we are as North Carolinians.
And we will show up for the people of Western North Carolina to help them rebuild safer and stronger than ever before.
I ran for governor because I love our home state.
And I believe in the promise of North Carolina, that where you come from should never limit how far you can go.
That our kids and grandkids should enjoy a better and brighter future than we've had.
That every North Carolinian should have a fair shot at success starting a small business or getting a good paying job everywhere in this state, including small town, North Carolina.
To deliver on that promise, we must invest in our people and their futures so that together we build a safer, stronger North Carolina where the economy continues to grow and works for everyone.
Where our public schools are excellent and our teachers are well paid.
where our neighborhoods are safe and women can make their own decisions about their own bodies.
Just like rebuilding Western North Carolina, these issues, good jobs, strong public schools, safe neighborhoods, and personal freedoms are not partisan issues.
They are North Carolina issues.
We have big challenges ahead, but we have even bigger dreams to realize.
We can cut taxes for workers so you keep more of your own money.
We can pay teachers what they deserve and open up doors of opportunities for our children.
We can expand career and technical education because you shouldn't have to go to college to provide for your own family.
To build this brighter future, we must put aside our differences and work together.
We must reject the politics of division, fear, and hate that keep us from finding common ground.
We will go further when we go together, not as Democrats, not as Republicans, not as Independents, but as North Carolinians.
And I know we can do this because I know who we are.
I have met so many inspiring people across this state.
Debbie and Cornelius, who tragically lost her son to fentanyl and is fighting to protect other families from that same fate.
Lauren, a teacher in Greenville, who digs into her own pocket to buy school supplies for her students to give them a better chance.
I want to thank everyone I have met along the way for sharing your stories with me.
And to the thousands and thousands of people from every corner of this state who helped to build this campaign, I am forever grateful for your support.
Thank you for believing in the promise of North Carolina.
And if I didn't earn your vote in this election, I hope to earn your trust by working hard for you as your governor.
I pledge to listen and work across party lines to do what's right for North Carolina because no person or party has a monopoly on good ideas.
To all of the smart and smart ALEC young people on my campaign, thank you for the long days and late nights.
Thank you for the hard and high-quality work.
And thank you for the laughter along the way.
They, by the way, are incredible.
I also want to thank Governor Cooper.
Let's give that man the man that he deserves.
Roy Cooper has led our state with a steady hand through an unprecedented global pandemic, a 1,000-year storm in the West, and two 500-year floods in the East.
He expanded Medicaid, strengthened our business climate, and fought for our public schools.
Roy, I could not be more grateful for your service and your friendship, and do not even think about changing your cell phone number on me.
My parents, Adam and Jane, raised my brother Eric and my sister Gerda to try to do what is right just like they did.
It's truly one of the best gifts that parents can give to their children.
I want to thank them and I hate that my dad got a bug yesterday working early voting and so they're watching it here on TV.
Let's all say thank you, Adam and Jane, to my wife, Anna.
Otherwise known as a rock star, thank you for being the glue that keeps our family together, for keeping me focused on the things that really matter, and for being you.
She is going to be a remarkable first lady.
We are blessed to have our three kids here today, Sam, Adam, and Leah.
Mom and I love you very much and are incredibly proud of you.
Fundamentally, this campaign is about you and all of the young people of North Carolina.
We want all of you to want to call North Carolina home the same way we do.
Friends, we are so blessed to be of this place.
And while nowhere is perfect, I firmly believe that whatever may be wrong with our state can be repaired by all that is right.
After all, North Carolina is where the Greensboro Four sat down and the Wright brothers took flight.
It's where my father joined Julius Chambers and James Ferguson to form North Carolina's first integrated law firm to fight for equality and opportunity for all.
It's where people come together to solve tough problems and believe that our best days are ahead of us, not behind us.
This is our North Carolina.
This is our home.
Tonight, let's celebrate this hard-fought victory, and tomorrow we will get back to work to building a North Carolina that is safer, stronger, and more prosperous for everyone.
Thank you, and may God bless you, and may God bless the state of North Carolina.
Thank you.
My brother, my sister, my cup.
My never dad from the game and been with me before I even knew what being with me was.
Y'all just passed at it.
Never got your shit at it.
But it's been the same old North Carolina's been.
Y'all think in it.
Oh, it's a shame, isn't it?
Love you too.
We love you too.
Well, as always, the very first thing we're going to do is do what?
Thank our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
We thank him.
We thank him a double portion tonight.
Because I can tell you this right now: the window of opportunity for us winning this race is closing quick, folks.
Folks, we realize what we're up against.
We realize what we were up against from the very beginning.
We knew that we were just an ordinary person getting in this for the right reasons to fight for the people of North Carolina and to make effective change.
You know, it doesn't seem like it's going our way tonight.
But it's always going our way.
Because it's going the right way.
Whether people want it to or not, people of faith know it's going to go the right way because we've read the back of the book and we know how this all comes to an end.
Those who would promote evil and promote wrong and call it right, they do not win.
They may prosper for a season, but in the end, we win.
So I'm standing here now and I'm not sad one lick.
I'm a little disappointed.
I'm disappointed for you because I wanted this so bad for you.
I wanted this for the people of North Carolina, not for me.
I wanted it for them.
I wanted to represent them.
I wanted to take their issues before the folks of North Carolina and really have those issues addressed.
Not for the purposes of climbing a political ladder, but for the purposes of fighting for the people in the state that I love.
But it was not to be, it appears.
I can tell you this.
We're not going to stop here, folks.
We don't stop here.
We've got a lot of work still to do as a lieutenant governor.
We've got a lot of work to do in Western North Carolina to continue to help those folks to get back to full normal.
We've got a lot of work still to do in the sphere of education in these last two months.
We've got a lot of work to do still for the people of North Carolina.
We're going to do it with great energy.
We're going to do it with the same intensity that we've been doing it for the last three and a half, almost four years.
You know, I'm standing here now, folks, and guess where my head is?
My head is held high.
And the reason why my head is held high is because I ran a race where I did not have to lie.
I did not have to tell half-truths.
I did not have to spend millions and millions and millions of dollars demonizing anyone.
I simply traveled this state and told people about my vision and told the people of North Carolina that I have an unabided faith in them and told the people of North Carolina as well, it will not be the government that will build this state.
It will be you.
That is the message that we deliver to the people of this state.
A true message of real hope, a real future, where every single solitary North Carolinian can make a great living.
My wife and I will now take our time.
I'll work these last two months as lieutenant governor.
I'll continue to do what I need to do for the people of the state of North Carolina.
And after the beginning of the year, I'm going to spend some time with my grandchildren.
They are getting older, and so am I.
And so we'll spend some time with family, and we'll assess, and we'll move forward from there.
But, you know, I want to leave you with a quote from an often demonized politician who said something quite profound as he was resigning from office.
He said, we think sometimes when things don't go good for us, when we lose an election or someone dear to us dies, that all is ended.
It's not true.
It's only a beginning.
Always.
Because the greatness comes, not when things go always good for you, but the greatness comes when you're really tested.
When you take some knocks, some disappointments, when sadness comes.
Because only if you've been in the deepest valley can you ever know how magnificent it is to stand on the highest mountain.
Folks, I have stood on the highest mountain.
Going from being a factory worker to being the first black lieutenant governor of North Carolina has been the honor of my lifetime.
Now I'm proud to stand in front of so many supporters and have so many votes cast for me by people who have confidence in me.
It's not about the lies.
It's not about the half-truths.
It's about the people who believe in you.
And it's about the state that you love.
A state that I fully intend to continue to serve for the next two months.
And who knows, maybe in the future once again, somewhere in office.
Who knows?
I don't know.
But we're going to take our time.
We're going to assess.
We're going to spend time with family.
Before I leave this stage, though, I want to say to each and every person I'm looking at right now, I see so many faces I can't name you all.
Name them all.
I love each and every one of you.
Not only have you added value to this campaign, you have added value to my life as friends, as supporters.
The one thing I have not done this entire time in this campaign is shed tears.
I will not shed tears tonight because I stand here strong and proud.
Glad to have run a race that was upright and decent while others around me refused to do so.
So we leave this place tonight with our head held high.
And the only disappointment that I have inside of me is the disappointment that you all feel.
Because I know so many of you want it so bad to see nothing but victory tonight.
But remember, victory is pleasing God.
Victory is pleasing God.
And sometimes in order to please God, you have to lose in the sight of man.
So God bless you all.
Thank y'all so much for everything that you've done for me.
We love y'all.
Thank y'all so much.
Appreciate y'all.
Thank you.
This afternoon, Democratic presidential nominee and Vice President Kamala Harris will speak at her alma mater, Howard University in Washington, D.C. She's expected to give her concession speech after Donald Trump was declared the winner in the 2024 presidential race.
You can watch the Vice President's remarks live at 4 p.m. Eastern on C-SPAN.
C-SPAN Now, our free mobile video app, or online at c-span.org.
Discover the heartbeat of democracy with C-SPAN Voices 2024 as we engage voters ahead of Election Day asking, what are your thoughts on this election cycle?
I'm excited about it.
I love seeing the passion come out of Americans and that true love for this country.
It's just one of the most passionate things that people all over the world hear and respect and feel.
I would say that it's going to be a game changer for the United States for sure.
Like I think either way, like the United States is going to change no matter which way the twing goes.
I think it's divisive and it doesn't represent our United States very well.
I think that we're at a pivotal moment in America where we have to make the decision to speak up and speak out and this is the time to do it.
I feel like it's very important.
I feel like our country needs a lot of healing and I hope that the people are able to come out and band together and our voices are truly heard.
I think this is one of the most important election cycles I've lived through and there's so much at stake with our economy and how we live on a day-to-day basis and also just our personal rights.
So I've never really felt an election where it seems so close and it's just so important.
So I hope everyone goes on out there and hoods.
C-SPAN's Voices 2024.
Be a part of the conversation.
This fall, as part of our comprehensive Campaign 2024 coverage, C-SPAN broadcasts more than 80 debates featuring candidates for the Senate, House, and Governor's races.
Thanks to partnerships with more than 90 local media, civic, and educational organizations across the country.
These organizations have also allowed C-SPAN to archive these debates on our website.
You can watch them anytime, on demand, by visiting C-SPAN.org.
C-SPAN thanks our partners for their dedication to the democratic process and commitment to public service.
C-SPAN, your unfiltered view of politics.
Attention middle and high school students across America.
It's time to make your voice heard.
C-SPAN Student Cam Documentary Contest 2025 is here.
This is your chance to create a documentary that can inspire change, raise awareness, and make an impact.
Your documentary should answer this year's question: your message to the president.
What issue is most important to you or your community?
Whether you're passionate about politics, the environment, or community stories.
Student Cam is your platform to share your message with the world.
With $100,000 in prizes, including a grand prize of $5,000, this is your opportunity not only to make an impact, but also be rewarded for your creativity and hard work.