NC governor’s race: Campaign money, Robinson at RNC, new chief of staff for Cooper

Welcome to the governor’s race edition of our Under the Dome politics newsletter. I’m Dawn Vaughan , The News & Observer’s Capitol bureau chief.

The North Carolina State Board of Elections has posted the latest campaign finance reports for both the Republican candidate for governor, Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson , and the Democratic candidate, Attorney General Josh Stein . Stein significantly outpaced Robinson on donations. You can read my coverage here , with several charts and graphs from our data reporter David Raynor about who’s giving, how much they are giving, and where the money is coming from both inside and outside the state.

In NC governor race, Stein outpaces Robinson in fundraising. Here’s who’s giving.

Robinson gains national attention at RNC

Robinson made his debut on the national stage this past week, giving a speech on the first night of the Republican National Convention. You can read my coverage of his speech, which included some of his personal story, here :

NC’s Mark Robinson introduces himself at Republican National Convention. What to know.

New chief of staff for Gov. Cooper

Outgoing Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper ’s name is still being floated as a potential vice presidential candidate if Vice President Kamala Harris becomes the Democratic nominee instead of President Joe Biden .

Regardless of what Cooper is planning when his term is up, he had a major staff change on Friday.

Chief of Staff Kristi Jones , who has had the job since 2017, is leaving in mid-August, Cooper’s office announced. Julia White , already a longtime adviser to Cooper, will fill the job. Jones is going into the private sector. In addition to being Cooper’s senior adviser, White previously served in other staff leadership roles and for the late Senate leader Marc Basnight when Cooper was majority leader.

Stay informed about #ncpol

Don’t forget to follow our Under the Dome tweets and listen to our Under the Dome podcast to stay up to date. Our new episode posts Monday morning, and I’m joined by Raleigh politics reporter Anna Roman to talk about the mayoral and city council races and downtown development.

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