Op-Ed: Josh Stein is Putting North Carolina First

Before I was a registered voter, I cheered on the Republican ticket as a part of our high school’s Young Republicans chapter. I proudly held up signs and campaigned among my classmates, committed to supporting the party I believed was business-friendly and people-focused. I held to those values and continued my involvement in Republican politics throughout college.

Building upon my post-MBA career in marketing and operations with lululemon athletica in Vancouver, BC, I launched my first business in Charleston, South Carolina before ultimately moving it to Wilmington. I have always valued the ideals of hard work and a small government that allows businesses to thrive. But the North Carolina Republican Party that once represented the beliefs of my youth is no longer recognizable, evidenced by the fact Mark Robinson has been nominated to lead it.

As a female business leader and parent to three small children, I am keenly aware of the devastating leadership Mark Robinson would bring to our state.

In Mark Robinson’s North Carolina, women are not “called to lead,” victims of sexual assault are mocked, and abortions occur because women “aren’t responsible enough to keep [their] skirts down.” He calls school shooting survivors “prosti-tots” and “spoiled little bastards.” 

Under a leader who has knowingly put children in harm’s way, spoken out from a church pulpit devaluing the lives of others, and knowingly fought for restrictive policies, North Carolina would become a place centered on the culture wars. 

When North Carolina is experiencing record growth and job creation, largely thanks to our investments in education and strong business climate, Mark Robinson’s culture war agenda puts that at risk. 

Looking back at the last decade of my life, years in which I built and sold a business and started our family via IVF, I wonder if any of it would be possible under Mark Robinson’s North Carolina. 

This November, I am proudly casting my vote for Josh Stein. Because action matters most.

He led the statewide effort to clear the largest rape kit backlog in the country, has fought to protect health care access for all families, and is committed to keeping our children safe in school. Instead of fighting culture wars that send business opportunities running, he wants to continue to expand economic opportunity, including in rural parts of our state similar to my hometown of Lexington. 

When our Attorney General speaks, we hear people-focused policy, not party-centric emptiness. He works collaboratively to improve our state and has a proven track record of working on both sides of the aisle to build strong policy.

You may be a Republican, or you may be a Democrat, or you may be an independent. 

As a North Carolinian, Josh Stein is the right choice for Governor because Josh Stein is for you.

He will make our state stronger, safer, and a better place to live for everyone – not just those he deems appropriate.