Josh Stein

Biography

Josh Stein is a Democratic state senator from Raleigh.

Early Life, Education and Family

Stein was born on Sept. 13, 1966, in Washington, D.C. His father is a prominent civil rights attorney in Chapel Hill; his mother, a small business owner.

He graduated from Chapel Hill High School in 1984.

He then went to Dartmouth College, spending a semester abroad in Kenya. After graduating summa cum laude with a bachelor of arts in history in 1988, he moved to Zimbabwe, where he taught high school at the Danhiko school for disabled soldiers for two years.

After working for the Culbreth Park affordable housing project for nine months, Stein went to Harvard University from 1991 to 1995, earning a joint degree in law and public policy. 

In 1996, he married Anna Harris, whom he met when they both interned at the N.C. Department of Justice.  

Professional Career

Stein moved back to North Carolina, where he worked for the Self-Help Credit Union in Durham, where he handled real estate development in low-income areas. He also worked for the N.C. Minority Credit Union Support Center, raising capital for minority-owned credit unions.

In 1997, he worked for John Edwards' Senate campaign, becoming his campaign manager in 1998. After Edwards won, Stein went to Washington, D.C., to work for his U.S. Senate office, serving as legal counsel and deputy chief of staff in 1999 and 2000.

In 2001, he moved back to Raleigh. In February of 2001, he began working for Attorney General Roy Cooper, serving as director of the consumer protection division. 

Political Career

In late August of 2007, he announced he would run in the Democratic primary for the Senate seat held by Democratic Sen. Janet Cowell, who ran successfully for state Treasurer.

He was endorsed by the Raleigh-Wake Citizens Association, the Teamsters, the State Employees Association of N.C., Equality N.C., NARAL Pro-Choice North Carolina, the N.C. Academy of Trial Lawyers, the AFL-CIO of North Carolina, the Triangle Labor Council, the Conservation Council of North Carolina, the American Federation of Teachers' North Carolina chapter, the Raleigh Police Protective Association and the Raleigh Professional Fire Fighters Association.

He beat former Wake County commissioner Jack Nichols and retired N.C. State track coach Mike Shea in the Democratic primary, then defeated Republican John M. Alexander Jr. in November.

Research and reporting by Ryan Teague Beckwith.

Occupation

Contact Info

Email: josh@joshstein.org

Education

Military

Issues

Name one way you would change government.

I would strive to make state government work in the interest of the people of North Carolina rather than in the interest of the politically powerful. For instance, the State Board of Transportation, which in large measure is comprised of political donors, has too much say into what projects are built and often, too much money goes to building new four lane highways where few people live. The Department of Transportation’s budget should address the priority needs we have in our urban centers like the Triangle, where traffic is a serious problem. We need to overhaul the operations of the DOT, devoting more resources to solving traffic issues where the most people live/travel and into public transportation. Having helped to enact laws combating predatory lending, unwanted telemarketing, identity theft, and price gouging, I have experience in taking on powerful interests in the General Assembly and getting good things done for people. That’s what I will do as State Senator. 

What is the most pressing problem affecting the function of district court?

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