(The Center Square) – Democratic gubernatorial candidate Josh Stein raised more than double the amount of money for his campaign than Republican candidate Mark Robinson in the most recent period, promising a heated race for the governor’s mansion in North Carolina.
Stein ended the second fundraising quarter with $15.9 million in the bank, while Robinson has $6.6 million, according to campaign finance documents.
The race for governor in North Carolina is destined to be among the most competitive and costly races in the nation.
Stein, the state attorney general, has consistently labeled his opponent a “right-wing extremist.”
On his part, Robinson first rose to prominence after his pro-Second Amendment comments at a Greensboro City Council meeting in 2018 led to his election as the first Black lieutenant governor of North Carolina.
Since then, Robinson has become a key figure in the Republican party, speaking at the Republican National Convention on Monday night.
“There is hope. And I’ve proved it. My wife and I never gave up. We kept our faith. We worked hard, and made it through those tough times,” Robinson said. “Now, I stand before you on the verge of becoming the first Black governor of North Carolina.”
Both are running to replace term-locked Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper.
Democrats are circling the wagons to fight against Robinson, accusing him of everything from campaign finance fraud to holding a campaign event with a cult.
The quarter, which ran for four and a half months, ended on June 30.
At the beginning of the period, Stein had nearly $13 million, documents show. Over the quarter, he spent $10.6 million and raised $13 million from individuals.
Robinson did not fare as well.
His campaign, Friends of Mark Robinson, started the quarter with $4.5 million, spent $3 million, and raised $4.5 million from individuals.
Spending on the governor’s race in North Carolina will likely contribute to the projected $362 million spent on political advertising in the state in the 2024 election cycle.
This makes North Carolina the 11th-highest in the country, according to a recent report released by AdImpact.
Another part of the AdImpact ranking is ad spending from political interest groups like Planned Parenthood.
Stein has attacked Robinson for his anti-abortion values, making that a main talking point for his campaign, even featuring comments Robinson has made in campaign ads running in the state.
Now, Planned Parenthood has set its target on North Carolina with a targeted ad campaign looking to flip the state in favor of the Democrats.
“Contraception. IVF. Abortion access. This is what’s at stake in this election. We must fight back against far-right extremism and protect women’s reproductive rights this November,” Stein said in a statement on social media.
He also called on his supporters to donate to keep ads running so “we can defeat my far-right opponent this November.”
Yet, Robinson has already broken fundraising records for the state’s Republican gubernatorial candidates.
He also called out Stein, acknowledging that Democrats will likely out-fundraise him.
“We know that Stein and the liberal Democrats are going to raise a TON of money, but with your help we will continue to post record numbers and have the strongest fundraising operation of any Republican governor candidate in NC history,” he said on social media last year. “Together we can and will win the Governor’s Mansion.”
