Pa. Gov. Josh Shapiro stumps for would-be Gov. Josh Stein
When brought out by gubernatorial candidate and N.C. Attorney General Josh Stein at UNCG Sunday, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro doubled down on how he says Stein's opponent is not fit for the job.
"Both of us got a whole lot of attention on our races because of the extremist opponents that we are up against," Shapiro said, referencing Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, who has faced controversy over a CNN report on racial and sexual comments posted on a pornography website.
"But it would be a disservice to Josh Stein if we just focused on the negative, kooky, crazy, bonkers, extremist stuff that the other guy is doing," Shapiro said. "You see I know Josh Stein. I know he has a servant's heart. "
Robinson, who faces Stein Nov. 5 to succeed Gov. Roy Cooper, was in the news over the weekend for a short hospital stay for what his campaign described as second-degree burns from touching a truck, which Shapiro did not reference.
Both Stein and Shapiro also began the meet-and-greet by acknowledging that North Carolina is struggling after Hurricane Helene, with Stein calling for a moment of silence for the victims and those working to restore power and utility service and to clear roads. Shapiro also said search-and-rescue teams had been dispatched from his state.
Stein also said that while he was continuing to campaign that he was using the campaign events as a way to also bring attention to the devastation.
Shapiro would also talk of the importance of electing Stein to office by looking at his record in moments of crisis. He mentioned the state's backlog of rape kits that Stein cleared up as attorney general. Stein helped lead a national bipartisan group of state attorney generals to hold pharmaceutical companies responsible for the opioid crisis, Shapiro noted.
"This is not just a race where we're voting against someone," Shapiro said."We've got someone great we can vote for in Josh Stein to be our next governor. He knows how to get stuff done."
Stein spoke of raising the state minimum wage, which he says could lift children out of poverty, while building an economy that provides possibilities for anyone who wants to work hard.
"Governing isn't complicated," Stein said. "It's about putting people first and then fighting for them."
But Robinson's words were apparently still ringing in his ears.
"From that CNN report, we learned that he's a self-described Nazi," Stein said. "He wants to bring slavery back. He praises Hitler. But look, he was unfit to be governor before that story broke."
Robinson has said he has hired lawyers to look into the CNN report.
"He disrespects women," Stein continued to moans from the audience. " ... He said public school teachers are wicked, gay people are filth, civil rights leaders are crap. This summer, from all places, a church pulpit, he screamed that some people need killing. But it's not just what he said, but what he would do."
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