The holocaust denying Republican nominee for North Carolina.

I expect (hope) the polls change, but currently it is a very close race for governor. I hope that it is mostly a matter of visibility and that his statements were not well-known to the electorate in 2020 when he ran for Lieutenant Governor. I also hope that post-Dobbs his anti-abortion comments motivate North Carolina voters to come out against him.

But yes, North Carolina is a purple state and he could very well win. He got more votes than Trump in 2020 (Lieutenant Governors in North Carolina have their own separate elections from the Governor).