Stein wasted no time announcing that his first act as governor will be to spearhead recovery efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene.
North Carolina officially welcomed its first Jewish governor on Wednesday during a historic swearing-in ceremony at the Capitol building in Raleigh.
“Today I stand before you humbled by this responsibility, grateful for this opportunity and ready to get to work for you, the people of North Carolina,” said Josh Stein after taking his oath of office on an 1891 edition of the Tanach.
“The work ahead of us is significant, but the time is now to build a safer, stronger North Carolina, where our economy continues to grow and works for everyone, where our public schools are excellent and our teachers are well-paid, and where our neighborhoods are safe and our personal freedoms are protected.”
In becoming North Carolina’s 76th governor, Stein will continue the state’s long tradition of Democratic leadership who have held the governorship for all but three terms since 1900.
The 58-year-old brings substantial political experience to the role, having first won election to the state Senate in 2008. He later resigned that position in March 2016 to successfully campaign for attorney general.
During his gubernatorial campaign, Stein advocated for a broad platform that included economic growth, education improvement and job creation.
Stein also wasted no time announcing his first act as governor will be to spearhead recovery efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene.
Savage winds, historic rainfall, and spawned tornadoes ravaged North Carolina when Helene made landfall on September 27, unleashing catastrophic flooding and landslides that claimed more than 100 lives statewide.
Scores of families have lost their homes entirely, while tens of thousands more face extensive repairs.
Millions more were cut off from water, electricity, medical facilities, and communications. Emergency responders are still struggling to reach isolated communities after roads and bridges either buckled or washed away completely.
“We must act with urgency to help the people of western North Carolina recover from Hurricane Helene. We must help rebuild housing, support small businesses, and restore broken infrastructure,” he said.
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