Updated as of 7:11 p.m. on Oct. 20 to include video.
With the general election swiftly approaching, Democratic candidate for governor and North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein visited the Alamance County Democratic Party Headquarters in Burlington on Oct. 19.
Volunteers at the ACDP showed their support with cheers for Stein as he spoke about his plans if elected as governor this November.
Attorney General Josh Stein arrives on Oct. 19 at the Alamance County Democratic Party headquarters.
With the Alamance-Burlington County School System’s debt reaching $2.4 million in early September, Stein said supporting public schools financially will be a priority for him as governor. But to do this, he said public schools have to increase pay for teachers.
“We're at the very bottom in this country,” Stein said. “We're 42nd in starting teacher pay. We're 48th in per pupil investment. Those numbers are just a disgrace. If we want to recruit and retain the best into our schools, we have to pay them better.”
According to Stein, he also plans on supporting local communities by implementing tax cuts for the working class through his Working Families Tax Cut proposal. The proposal would raise the minimum wage, cut taxes for working families and lower costs, according to Stein’s campaign.
“There are a lot of folks who are working hard and they're earning enough but not enough to all afford everything they've got,” Stein said. “This tax credit is about putting more money into the pockets of working folks, lifting children out of poverty and stimulating local economies.”
Earlier in the day, many of the attendees of the event were out in the local community, at polling locations, knocking on doors or at the headquarters making phone calls. ACDP volunteer Martha Krall was working as a poll greeter earlier in the morning and continued preparing canvassing materials during Stein’s visit. Krall, who has worked with the ACDP for over 12 years, said she is thinking about the impact this election will have on more than just her own future.
“They're going to make the decisions for our lives,” Krall said. “I'm already 78 years old, and I'm worried about the future of my granddaughters, and what future they will have.”
Stein has been an advocate for ensuring reproductive rights for women throughout his campaign and promised to veto any bill that restricted reproductive rights in the state, a stark contrast to his opponent, Republican Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson.
Stein mentioned Robinson’s past comments — of which he called members of the LGBTQ+ communities “filth” and denied the Holocaust and climate change — and encouraged members of the ACDP to vote Democrat up and down the ballot.
“We have power,” Stein said. “The power to determine who wins and who loses, and because the path to the White House runs right through North Carolina. We have the power to shape the future, not only of North Carolina, but this nation and the world.”
The event brought together both local community members, like Krall, but also students from Elon University. Elon Law student Dimitri McKinney works on Stein’s campaign as a volunteer. An Alamance County native himself, McKinney said local politics are just as important as the federal elections.
“The local races are what really determine the policy that affects you every day,” McKinney said. “Those are the folks who are on the ground every day, working on everything.”
Elon College Democrats President Ryan Elad poses for a picture with Attorney General Josh Stein at the Alamance County Democratic Party headquarters on Oct. 19.
Stein also addressed his past record as attorney general of North Carolina, a position he has held since 2017. He said his experience as attorney general has prepared him to be governor.
“Governing really isn't that complicated,” Stein said. “You put people first and then you fight for them. It's what I've been doing as your attorney general these past nearly eight years, fighting for the people of North Carolina.”
McKinney said Stein’s work as attorney general is what gives him reassurance that Stein is qualified to be governor.
“He's very much an attorney general of the state,” McKinney said. “The work that he's done — the opioid settlement — you see a lot of impacts, literally from from the sea to the mountains. He is going to be a governor for all the people in North Carolina.”
--
Abigail Hines contributed to the reporting of this story.