North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein delivers his first State of the State address to the General Assembly at the Legislative Building in Raleigh on March 12, 2025. (Photo: Galen Bacharier/NC Newsline)
Like most Democrats, North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein holds a dramatically different worldview from the Republicans who lead the state legislature — especially those who embrace the politics of President Donald Trump.
That said, Stein is also a realist who understands that there are many core issues on which most North Carolinians agree and wish fervently that their leaders would find common ground.
And it’s in that spirit that the Governor wisely framed his first State of the State speech last week. Sure — Stein could have spent most of his talk outlining his profound disagreements with the GOP over several divisive issues like abortion rights and climate change, but to his credit, Stein mostly reached for the center in hopes of persuading legislative leaders to work with him on popular items like Hurricane Helene relief, education funding, and tackling the fentanyl epidemic.
The bottom line: North Carolinians have fundamental disagreements on many issues, but Gov. Stein is right that, given our divided government, now is a time for cooperation, not fighting. Let’s hope legislative leaders respond in kind.
For NC Newsline, I’m Rob Schofield.