North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein, who won the race to be the state’s next governor Tuesday, looks out at supporters during his victory speech in Raleigh on Nov. 5, 2024. (Photo: Galen Bacharier/NC Newsline)
North Carolina voters split the ticket this election cycle, voting for Republican Donald Trump in the presidential contest and Democrat Josh Stein as the state’s top executive.
And 10 offices in the North Carolina Council of State will also be split between five Democrats and five Republicans — more than half of whom will be new to their position.
Democrats flipped two offices — lieutenant governor and superintendent of public instruction — while Republicans turned the state auditor’s office red.
Here’s a look at each of the elected members.
Governor: Josh Stein (D)
Attorney General Josh Stein defeated Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson by nearly 15% in what had been forecast as one of two competitive gubernatorial races nationwide.
The Associated Press called the race early Tuesday night. With all precincts reporting, Stein earned 54.82% of the vote compared to 40.18% for Robinson.
It was a race that became marred by Robinson’s scandals, including a CNN report that exposed Robinson’s past lewd online comments. Even before then, he was trailing in the polls.
Stein’s election prevents a Republican trifecta in North Carolina. He’ll retain Democratic veto power over the Republican-led state legislature, and, with Republicans appearing to lose their supermajority in the House, it’s possible he’ll face fewer veto overrides than outgoing Gov. Roy Cooper.
He’s had a close relationship with Cooper — both men served as attorney general before getting elected governor. Stein was a state senator representing Wake County prior to taking office as attorney general. He holds degrees from Dartmouth College, Harvard Law School, and Harvard Kennedy School.
Lieutenant Governor: Rachel Hunt (D)
State Sen. Rachel Hunt flipped the lieutenant governor’s office to the Democrats after narrowly defeating arch-conservative Republican nominee Hal Weatherman.
The Associated Press called the race on Wednesday. With all precincts reporting, Hunt led 49.44% to 47.75% — a gap of more than 95,000 votes.
A Charlotte resident, Hunt has represented Mecklenburg County in the North Carolina Senate since 2023. Before that she served two terms in the North Carolina House, where she was first elected in 2018.
Hunt is a political legacy in the Tar Heel state. She’s the daughter of former Gov. Jim Hunt, who holds the record as the longest-serving governor in North Carolina history over 16 non-consecutive years.
While the office is not a constitutionally powerful position, the lieutenant governor serves as the presiding officer of the state Senate and casts tie-breaking votes in the event the chamber becomes deadlocked on legislation.
Hunt graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the University of South Carolina School of Law.
Attorney General: Jeff Jackson (D)
U.S. Rep. Jeff Jackson beat fellow outgoing member of Congress Dan Bishop in the battle for attorney general.
The Associated Press projected Jackson as the winner late Tuesday night. With all precincts reporting, Jackson holds 51.33 percent of the vote compared to 48.67 percent for Bishop.
Bishop and Jackson represent neighboring House districts in the Charlotte area. Jackson serves the largely urban 14th Congressional District while Bishop was elected in the 8th Congressional District, representing a large swath of the Piedmont region including the Charlotte suburb of Concord.
The Democrat decided against running for reelection at the federal level after gerrymandering placed him in a heavily Republican district.
The contest, expected to be one of the closest attorney general races in the country, drew an enormous amount of campaign spending. Jackson said in a video across social media that it is “the most expensive attorney general race in American history,” with more than $30 million spent by the two campaigns and outside groups as of the end of October.
Jackson holds degrees from Emory University and the University of Carolina School of Law.
Auditor: Dave Boliek (R)
Republican Dave Boliek flipped the state auditor seat, ousting Democratic incumbent Jessica Holmes, who was appointed to the position in late 2023 after Democrat Beth Wood resigned.
He earned 49.47 percent of the vote, edging out Holmes, who had 47.52 percent.
Boliek serves as chairman of the UNC Board of Trustees and previously ran a small business. His late father, Dave Boliek, Sr., was a well-known TV reporter and news anchor in the Triangle.
He graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Campbell Law School, and Campbell University School of Business.
Commissioner of Agriculture: Steve Troxler (R)
Incumbent Steve Troxler won his sixth four-year term as state agriculture commissioner, beating Democrat Sarah Taber.
Troxler won 52.73 percent of the vote, while Taber received 44.85 percent.
He is the founder, owner and operator of Troxler Farms — a family-owned farm that has produced tobacco, wheat, vegetables and soybeans.
He graduated from North Carolina State University.
Commissioner of Insurance: Mike Causey (R)
Incumbent Mike Causey won his third four-year term as insurance commissioner, beating Democratic state Sen. Natasha Marcus, who ran an aggressive campaign in which she accused Causey of betraying consumers and kowtowing to the insurance industry.
He received 52.22 percent of the vote while Marcus earned 47.78 percent.
His official bio states that he is “a successful businessman with more than 25 years in the insurance industry – as an agent, manager, supervisor and agency owner.”
He holds degrees in Civil Engineering from Wake Tech Community College, in Environmental Engineering from UNC-Charlotte, and a B.S. in Business Administration from High Point University
Commissioner of Labor: Luke Farley (R) 
Republican Luke Farley won the labor commissioner position over Democrat Braxton Winston II.
Farley won 52.85 percent of the vote, while Winston received 47.15 percent.
He’s an arch-conservative Raleigh attorney who entered the race without previous political experience.
Current commissioner Josh Dobson announced his immediate resignation from the position on Wednesday.
Farley holds degrees from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Wake Forest University School of Law.
Secretary of State: Elaine Marshall (D)
Elaine Marshall is the only Democratic incumbent to retain her position in the Council of State.
By receiving 50.94 percent of the vote and defeating Republican Chad Brown, who had 49.06 percent, she was reelected to her eighth four-year term, giving her the longest tenure on the upcoming Council of State. In 1996, she became the first woman elected to a statewide executive branch office in North Carolina.
Marshall, an attorney, previously served a term in the state Senate. She attended the University of Maryland and Campbell Law School.
Superintendent of Public Instruction: Mo Green (D)
Democrat Mo Green defeated Republican Michele Morrow in the superintendent of public instruction race, which received national attention due to Morrow’s past actions.
Green received 51.09 percent of the vote, beating Morrow, who got 48.91 percent. He replaces outgoing Republican superintendent Catherine Truitt, who lost the GOP primary to Morrow.
The superintendent of public instruction heads one of the state’s largest agencies with a multibillion-dollar budget and provides support to all of North Carolina’s public schools.
Green previously served as the superintendent of Guilford County Public Schools, the third largest district in the state with more than 70,000 students, as well as the Winston-Salem-based Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation.
His campaign reminded voters of Morrow’s presence at the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, as well has hateful comments made in the past.
Green holds undergraduate and law degrees from Duke University.
Treasurer: Brad Briner (R)
Republican Brad Briner will be North Carolina’s next state treasurer after defeating Democratic challenger state Rep. Wesley Harris. He replaces outgoing Republican treasurer Dale Folwell, who ran unsuccessfully in the GOP primary for governor.
The Associated Press projected Briner early Wednesday morning. Briner led Harris 52.54 percent to 47.46 percent, according to the state Board of Elections.
The race pitted the only PhD economist in the legislature (Harris), against an investment manager and current member of the UNC Board of Trustees (Briner).
Briner attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Harvard Business School.