Democratic candidate for governor of North Carolina Josh Stein is getting praise from Republicans as well as Democrats.
Green Party Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson is running against Stein for governor. Stein is currently the state’s attorney general. The law says that Gov. Roy Cooper, a Democrat, can’t run for a third term, and his second term is almost over.
Stein’s team said Wednesday that he has the support of Republican former State Sen. Richard Stevens and other Republican leaders, such as:
Cabarrus County Commissioner Steve Morris
Stanly County Commissioner Peter Asciutto
Former State Sen. Jim Davis
Former State Rep. Chuck McGrady
Former State Rep. Chuck Neely.
Stein is going to hold a press conference in Raleigh on Thursday morning to show a list of support from more than 40 conservative voters.
A Robinson campaign spokeswoman didn’t answer right away when asked for comment.
Stevens was in the state senate for five terms before stepping down in 2012. He used to be the county manager for Wake County. When the Republicans took over the General Assembly in 2011, they chose Stevens to be the head of the budget committee.
Phil Berger, the Republican leader in the Senate, called Stevens “a dedicated public servant whose budgetary expertise, tireless work ethic, and ability to work across the aisle made him a successful and effective legislator” when he left the legislature.
A week before Stein’s announcement, a WRAL News Poll found that more and more Republicans were supporting her. In the most recent WRAL poll, 21% of Republican voters backed Stein.
This is up from 14% in March. One in eleven people who said they would vote for Trump in the national election also said they would vote for Stein in the gubernatorial race.