Likely attorney general candidate Stein has $1 million in campaign chest

By the end of this week, some of North Carolina’s statewide races should become a little clearer with the first look at the extent of campaign fundraising so far this year.

State Sen. Josh Stein, a Democrat from Raleigh, who is expected to run for Attorney General Roy Cooper’s set when Cooper formally announces his run for governor, filed his report Monday.

Stein took in $365,000 through the end of June and has $1.1 million cash on hand. (Hat tip to Jonathan Kappler for spotting that first.)

Almost all of the contributions come from individuals rather than political action committees. The report shows $300,000 in debts and obligations.

Cooper’s formal announcement to run against Gov. Pat McCrory isn’t expected until later this year. Stein and Tim Dunn, a Fayetteville lawyer and formal congressional candidate, are expected to run in the Democratic primary to replace him.

State Sen. Buck Newton, a Republican from Wilson, has formally announced he will run for attorney general. His campaign finance report was not available Monday. The deadline to file is Friday.

This story was originally published July 27, 2015 at 3:08 PM.