Will North Carolina have a governor's debate?
I asked the candidates for governor whether they planned to debate each other and why they feel they're the ones best able to improve the economy. Here's what they said...
We’ve officially reached the post-Labor Day stretch of the campaign, prompting candidates to be more active on the campaign trail to talk to voters. So every Sunday between now and the election, I won’t have a weekly news recap. Instead, I’ll highlight a key race and what the candidates in them had to say.
Earlier this week, I traveled to Franklinton, Jonesville and Mount Airy to hear from the gubernatorial candidates on their vision for the state and gauge how voters felt about their preferred candidate’s prospects.
I also wanted to hear from Democratic Attorney General Josh Stein and Republican Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson on whether they’d debate each other and why they felt they were better equipped than their opponent to improve the state’s economy.
Robinson declined to be interviewed and has twice-rescinded previously accepted interviews. Stein spoke to reporters after a campaign event to field questions on a number of topics.
Here’s what both candidates had to say:
Are you going to debate your opponent?
ROBINSON: [Ignores question by making clicking noises]
STEIN: “I expect so, but it remains to be seen.”
Why are you the candidate most likely to improve the economy?
Mark Robinson:
ROBINSON: [Ignores question by making clicking noises]
ROBINSON (speaking at campaign meet and greet event): “Our economy is built on pillars, five of them: public safety, public education, health care, housing, infrastructure.
“The governor appoints the people that are over those things. And the governor plays a unique role in making sure that those agencies: 1. Are not weaponized against you; and 2. Are modernized so they work efficiently; and 3. Understand that they don’t work for the state of North Carolina.
“They’re supposed to work for you. That’s the way it’s supposed to work, and that’s the way we’re going to get it working here in North Carolina and get our economy growing.”
Josh Stein
STEIN: “The priorities of the lieutenant governor run the risk of driving our economy into the ground. We’ve been down this road in North Carolina before with HB2, that bathroom bill from a few years ago. And it is a dead end. We lost out on billions and billions of dollars of economic activity.
“This is a man who says women are not called to lead and yet he’s supposed to sit in a room with female CEO’s who are considering bringing their businesses to North Carolina? This is a man who says that gay people are filth and that they’re worse than maggots. And a CEO who’s gay who has a business here is supposed to sit in a room with this guy? It’s not gonna happen. And then when you look at employees and workers, they want to be in a state where their freedoms are respected and protected.
“He wants to completely ban abortion in North Carolina, which would drive away a lot of people who we want to come to North Carolina and help us grow this economy.”
Takeaways from voters
Voters supporting Stein and Robinson felt uneasy with the election approaching.
For Robinson, those who attended his events expressed concerns that Stein was dominating the airwaves and the lieutenant governor’s message wasn’t reaching more people. Other Robinson supporters told me they hope to see Robinson show a softer side to him on the campaign trail in order to appeal to women voters who may be concerned with what they are hearing about him through TV ads.
For Stein, supporters are pleased with the direction the campaign is heading and feel optimistic about the Democrat’s chances. But they remain frightened about the prospects of a Robinson governorship and aren’t taking things for granted.
How the candidates responded
For Robinson, he told a supporter he was going on the offensive and would soon release an ad taking aim at Stein on the issue of immigration.
For Stein, he told reporters he believes public opinion polls showing him well ahead of Robinson are out of step with reality. Stein sees this as a close race and doesn’t want supporters to get complacent.
What’s coming next?
On Sunday, Sept. 15, I’ll feature another race and share a Q&A from a conversation with at least one candidate. If there’s a candidate up or down the ballot that you’d like to see interviewed, please shoot me a note!
Excellent use of video with this posting. Very informative.