Charlotte voters ‘excited’ for new North Carolina Governor to get to work after swearing-in

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — North Carolina’s new Governor has been sworn in. Wednesday morning inside the Old Senate Chambers at the historic Capitol in downtown Raleigh, Roy Cooper transferred his power to Democrat Josh Stein. Stein won the November election with nearly 55% of the vote and during a swearing-in ceremony he took the oath of office to become North Carolina’s 76th Governor.

Governor Cooper offered words of welcome to Stein. “My support and my prayers go with you my good friend,” Cooper said to Stein during the ceremony. Voters in the NoDa area said they were happy with Cooper’s service to the state and feel he accomplished much in his two terms.

Stein is North Carolina’s first Jewish Governor. He took the oath of office with his hand placed on a historic Tanakh, while his wife Anna and family stood by his side. Stein’s first words after swearing-in were “Happy New Year.” In his address he alluded to some of the things he hopes to accomplish as Governor.

“As I take this oath of office, I am profoundly aware of the solemn responsibility before me: to uphold the Constitution of the State of North Carolina and to serve our people,” said Governor Stein. “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. And of course, we must act with urgency to help the people of western North Carolina recover from Hurricane Helene. And we will.”

Elizabeth Israel is a North Carolina native and is one of the more than three-million 69-thousand voters who cast their ballot in favor of Stein. Israel wants to see Stein improve the infrastructure in her home state, but more than anything she wants the new Governor to further unify North Carolina.

“To ensure that there’s like a feeling of community within the state. You know, North Carolina has a lot of different cultures and identities inside it. And we’re a purple state,” Israel said. “I think that that is important, and so making sure that he’s really speaking to all North Carolinians.”

Stein is not wasting any time getting to work in his new position. The Governor is set to visit Asheville on Thursday, where he will announce Hurricane Helene recovery executive orders. Voters are happy to see him spotlight the victims who continue to struggle with rebuilding.

“It’s important for politicians to show that their face on the front lines in those issues. So I think that it’s admirable that he’s doing that,” said Evan Shelton, a Charlotte educator who hopes Stein will push for policy to improve teacher pay across the state.

Stein has made it clear he wants to bring all of North Carolina together. He hopes Democrats, Republicans, and Independents will be able to put aside differences during his term of service. “We can only accomplish these goals by reaching across the aisle and working together,” Stein said.

Public inauguration events are scheduled to take place on January 11th and 12th in Raleigh to further highlight the new Governor.