North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein defeated scandal-plagued Republican Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson in the state’s gubernatorial race, NBC News projects.

Mr. Stein’s campaign focused on education and abortion rights. But the core of his message was that Mr. Robinson, the Republican, was unfit to lead the state.

Robinson told supporters that he was "disappointed" in his loss for the North Carolina governor seat. He conceded shortly after 9 p.m.