RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina voters choosing a successor to term-limited Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper were deciding Tuesday between an attorney general who will carry out Cooper’s policies and a lieutenant governor whose outspoken speaking style and working-class background favor him. among staunch conservatives.

Democrat Josh Stein and Republican Mark Robinson were on the ballot along with three third-party candidates for the job of CEO of the ninth-largest state. Although the GOP has recently controlled the legislature and appellate courts, Democrats have resided in the governor’s mansion for all but four years since 1993.

The race between Robinson and Stein was initially billed as one of the most competitive and expensive gubernatorial contests this year. Early on, with a fundraising advantage, Stein and her allies used campaign ads and social media to remind voters of Robinson’s previous incendiary comments about abortion, women and women’s rights. LGBTQ+ people This, they said, left him too over the top to lead a volatile situation.

Then in September, Robinson’s campaign was thrown into turmoil when CNN reported that he made explicit racist and sexual posts on a pornography website message board more than a decade ago. Robinson denied writing the messages and sued CNN and a former porn store employee arrested for defamation in October.

In the days following the CNN news, much of Robinson Senior campaign staff resignedmany GOP elected officials and candidates (including presidential candidates) Donald Trump — moved away from his campaign, and the outside money supporting him on the airwaves dried up. The result: Stein has spent millions on advertising in recent weeks (often highlighting his opponent’s background), while Robinson has essentially spent nothing.

But Robinson continued to campaign, speaking in small meetings with supporters who appreciated his story of overcoming layoffs and personal bankruptcy to become a fierce gun rights advocate and later, in 2020, the state’s first Black lieutenant governor; this was his first bid for elected office. . If elected on Tuesday, he would also be the state’s first Black governor.

If elected, Stein would be the state’s first Jewish governor. He attended Dartmouth College and Harvard Law School, managed John Edwards’ winning U.S. Senate campaign in 1998, and worked as Cooper’s consumer protection chief in the 2000s when Cooper was attorney general. He was later elected to the state Senate and as attorney general, but his victories in the 2016 and 2020 general elections were extremely close: fewer than 25,000 votes both times.

While attorney general, Stein supported efforts to protect citizens from polluters, predatory student loans and high utility bills. His gubernatorial campaign platform largely followed Cooper’s policy goals, including increasing public school funding, promoting clean energy and halting Republican abortion restrictions. Stein, the son of a prominent civil rights lawyer, also emphasized civil rights in his speech.

Robinson campaigned largely on a platform of strengthening rural economies, supporting law enforcement and teachers, and replacing what he called political indoctrination in public schools with basic skills training.

Hurricane Helene and devastating flooding in the mountains affected the final weeks of the campaign; both candidates participated in rescue activities and comforted the victims. Stein’s position as attorney general meant he was prominent at storm news conferences and met with President Joe Biden when he visited the state. Robinson spent several days working with a central North Carolina sheriff collecting relief supplies. He criticized Cooper for the state government’s initial response to the storm.