Title: Governor of North Carolina · Democrat In this role since: January 1, 2025 Current term ends: January 2029 Next voter decision: November 2028
Record on these issues
- HB 318 veto, June 20, 2025: “My oath of office requires that I uphold the Constitution of the United States. Therefore, I cannot sign this bill because it would require sheriffs to unconstitutionally detain people for up to 48 hours after they would otherwise be released.” Overridden July 29, 2025 (governor.nc.gov · NC Newsline).
- SB 153 veto, same day: “At a time when our law enforcement is already stretched thin, this bill takes state law enforcement officers away from their existing state duties and forces them to act as federal immigration agents.” The Senate overrode July 29, 2025; the House completed the override June 24, 2026 (ncleg.gov · NC Newsline).
- The budget, July 7, 2026: signed S.L. 2026-41, which made the SBI’s highway plate-reader program permanent, opened it to every agency in the state, and extended it to all state-owned roads. His signing statement addressed teacher and law-enforcement pay; no statement by Stein on plate readers, Flock, or real-time crime centers has been found (governor.nc.gov · What the Law Lets the County Do).
- In November 2025 his office warned Asheville officials that federal immigration vans were expected in the city; Council member Bo Hess relayed it (WLOS).
The question for him
He vetoed forced ICE cooperation as unconstitutional and signed the statewide expansion of the cameras that feed it. Does he have a position on plate-reader data reaching federal agencies under G.S. 20-183.32, and would he sign a bill limiting it?
Region: State · Last updated: Aug 22, 2026