By Ben Rappaport
If you’ve tuned into a TV station in North Carolina lately, you’ve probably seen Robeson County District Attorney Matt Scott on your screen. In a 30-second political ad that began airing in August, he endorses Democrat Josh Stein for governor.
Scott, also a Democrat, touts Stein’s effort as North Carolina attorney general to clear the state’s rape kit backlog. He tells the story of a Florida man who was jailed in 2019 after sexually assaulting a Wilmington teacher in 1996.
While the case did not take place in Scott’s jurisdiction, he told the Border Belt Independent he was proud to highlight the impact of clearing the backlog. Robeson County currently does not have any untested rape kits, according to Scott.
Scott’s endorsement of Stein, who is campaigning against Republican Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, comes as more voters in Robeson County have switched to supporting GOP candidates. Voters here picked Democrats Bev Perdue in 2008 and Walter Dalton in 2012 in the race for governor, then Republicans Pat McCrory in 2016 and Dan Forest in 2020.
“I don’t look at this as endorsing a Democratic candidate for governor,” Scott said. “I’m endorsing a man that went to the plate for the citizens of this county specifically.”
Robinson won Robeson County with 57% of the vote when he was elected lieutenant governor in 2020. The same year, Stein lost the county in his re-election bid for attorney general, with 45% of the vote, but won the race overall. Four years earlier, he won 56% of the vote in Robeson.
Recent polling aggregated by FiveThirtyEight shows Stein is favored in the gubernatorial race by at least six percentage points, with some polls showing a 14-point lead. Cook Political Report said on Aug. 27 that it was shifting the race from toss-up to “lean Democrat,” as Robinson’s polling numbers continue to slide amid controversial statements.
Mike Lonergan, a spokesperson for the Robinson campaign, criticized the ad featuring Scott.
“This ad is just Josh Stein’s latest pathetic attempt to gloss over his failed record of propping up the same anti-police and pro-criminal extremist policies of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris,” Lonergan said.
It’s unclear if Robeson County will follow Scott’s recommendation at the ballot box, but he is popular among voters. As the first Native American district attorney in the state, Scott won 63% of the vote in 2018 and ran unopposed in 2022. His seat will next be on the ballot in 2026.
Scott said several of Stein’s policies have directly impacted Robeson County. Robinson, Scott said, just hasn’t made a tangible difference.
“I could be unaware, but I haven’t seen anything from [Robinson],” he said. “I can see what Josh Stein has done.”
To help with Robeson County’s overwhelming number of homicide cases, Stein’s office took on more than a dozen cases in 2019 to help move the cases through the judicial system.
“He helped us bring justice to these victims’ families,” Scott said. “Without any hesitation, their office helped the people of Robeson County.”
Lonergan, however, said Stein would “continue to turn our state into a magnet for violent crime and dangerous drugs.”
Stein helped lead the nationwide push to hold drug makers accountable for the opioid crisis. Robeson County, which had one of the highest rates of drug overdose deaths in the state in 2022, will receive nearly $16 million from a $1.5 billion legal settlement. Scott said the money has gone toward 27 initiatives related to curbing the opioid epidemic in the county, including recovery housing, naloxone distribution early intervention and other programs.
“We could have all the manpower in the world, but if we don’t have the funding we’re striking at the wind,” Scott said. “That funding is literally saving lives.”
Scott also applauded Stein for his work in taking on vape companies. Stein’s office sued e-cigarette company Juul in 2021, and the company settled for $47 million. Vaping in Robeson County high schools is a top issue for many principals, Scott said.
“Sometimes you have to put your hand in the woodpile and go do the work,” Scott said.
These initiatives are a step toward reducing crime in Robeson County, which has one of the highest crime rates in the state, Scott said.
“The bottom line is this: Here’s the problems we faced,” Scott said. “Here’s what this man has specifically done to attack those problems for the people of Robeson County.”
