Joshua Harold Stein (born September 13, 1966)^[1] is an American lawyer and politician who serves as the 51st attorney general of North Carolina. A member of the Democratic Party, Stein previously was a member of the North Carolina Senate representing the 16th district, located in Wake County.

Stein announced in 2015 that he would run for attorney general in 2016. His former boss, Attorney General Roy Cooper, successfully ran for governor in 2016. Following his win in the Democratic primary, Stein resigned from his seat in the state senate to focus on the race for attorney general. Stein won the general election, defeating Republican Buck Newton.^[2] He was the first Jewish person in North Carolina history to win a statewide election.^[3] Stein was re-elected in 2020, defeating Republican Jim O'Neill.^[4]

On January 18, 2023, Stein announced his campaign for governor of North Carolina in 2024.^[5] He became the Democratic nominee after the primary election on Super Tuesday. He will be facing Lieutenant Governor Mark Robinson in November's gubernatorial election.^[6]

Stein was born on September 13, 1966, in Washington, D.C.^[7] His family moved to Charlotte, North Carolina before settling in Chapel Hill, where his father, Adam Stein, co-founded North Carolina's first integrated law firm.^[8]

He attended Chapel Hill High School and played on its state championship soccer team.^[9][10] After graduating high school, Stein earned his Bachelor of Arts degree at Dartmouth College in 1988.^[11] After college, he taught English and economics in Zimbabwe.^[12] Stein then went on to earn degrees from Harvard Law School and the Kennedy School of Government.

In the 1990s, Stein interned for State Representative Dan Blue. Out of law school, Stein worked for the Self-Help Credit Union and the North Carolina Minority Support Center.^[13] In 1998, he managed the U.S. Senate campaign of John Edwards, which was successful.^[14] He then served as Edwards' deputy chief of staff from 1999 to 2000.^[15] In 2001, North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper appointed Stein as Senior Deputy Attorney General for Consumer Protection.^[9] He held that position until his election to the state senate in 2008.^[16][13] From 2012 until 2016, he served as Of Counsel at Smith Moore Leatherwood LLP, a regional law firm.

Stein defeated Republican John Alexander to represent the 16th district in the North Carolina Senate in 2008.^[17] After being re-elected in 2010, he was elected minority whip by his colleagues.^[18]

In the Senate, Stein worked to expand the state's DNA database, ban cyberstalking, extend and expand the state's renewable energy tax credit, and improve school safety.^[19][20][21]

As Attorney General, Stein was recognized for his national bipartisan leadership in 2023 by the National Association of Attorneys General.^[22]

As Attorney General, Stein has worked to eliminate North Carolina's backlog of untested sexual assault kits, the largest in the nation.^[23][24][25] This has led to new arrests in cases involving a 2015 assault and attempted murder in Durham, North Carolina;^[26] assaults in 2009 and 2010 in Fayetteville;^[27] and a 1993 assault in Winston-Salem.^[28]

Stein led the bipartisan effort of state Attorneys General to negotiate a national settlement framework with drug companies–manufacturers, distributors, and pharmacy chains–over the nation's opioid epidemic, totaling more than $50 billion.^[29] North Carolina's share of the settlement was $1.5 billion.^[30] Stein negotiated a memorandum of agreement with the state's counties that ensured the vast majority of the funds would go to prevention, harm reduction, treatment or recovery.^[31] Johns Hopkins School of Public Health recognized this partnership as one of the best in the nation.^[32]

In 2018, Stein filed a brief with the United States Supreme Court arguing in favor of the Affordable Care Act.^[33] In 2019, Stein became the first attorney general in the country to sue e-cigarette manufacturer Juul for unlawful marketing to minors.^[34] Stein won multiple settlements with JUUL totaling nearly $48 million that set a standard the rest of the nation is now following.^[35][36]

Stein has filed briefs supporting medication abortions and opposing restrictions on women from traveling to receive healthcare.^[37][38] Stein opposed the state's 12-week abortion ban enacted in 2023.^[39]

Stein negotiated eight Anti-Robocall Principles with a bipartisan coalition of 51 attorneys general and 12 companies to protect phone users from illegal robocalls.^[40] He also launched Operation Silver Shield, an effort to protect older North Carolinians from fraud and scams.^{[citation needed]}

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Stein won a preliminary injunction against a Charlotte tow company sued for price-gouging,^[41] and announced the investigation of nine North Carolina-based sellers on Amazon who are accused of raising prices on coronavirus-related products, including hand sanitizer and N-95 masks.^[42] Stein has won more than $1 million in price-gouging cases.^[43]

The Legislature voted to remove Stein as their legal representation before the courts on August 21, 2021, after he refused to appeal the findings of a lower court that a North Carolina state law that disenfranchised anyone convicted of a felony was unconstitutional. Stein cited he had been waiting for the ruling to be formally filed. Legislative leaders alleged Stein was "slow-walking" the case in order to allow felons to vote in the next election and used these claims to justify his immediate removal.^{[44][45][better source needed]}

On January 18, 2023, Stein formally announced his candidacy for the office of governor of North Carolina in the 2024 election.^[14] Stein has been endorsed by North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper along with hundreds of other elected officials and organizations, including the Reverend Dr. Jay Augustine, former State Representative and Senior Pastor James Gailliard, County Commissioner Melvin 'Skip' Alston, Fayetteville City Councilman Mario Benavente, Rabbi Fred Gutman, the Durham Committee on the Affairs of Black People, and the North Carolina Association of Educators.^[46][47]

During Super Tuesday, Stein advanced to the general election and to face Republican lieutenant governor Mark Robinson.^[48]

Stein is married to Anna Harris Stein and has three children; Sam, Adam, and Leah. The Steins are members of Temple Beth Or in Raleigh.^[12] He is a former YMCA basketball and J.C.C. soccer coach.^[11]

North Carolina Senate

Attorney general

• List of Jewish American jurists