By John C. Haynes, Class of 2026 

My parents built their first house on the southern end of Henderson County in 2002. They’d gotten married two years before, and were lucky to get good, high-paying jobs: my father at a real estate firm in Hendersonville and my mother as an accountant for the state government of South Carolina. As both my parents entered their careers, they pursued the newlyweds’ dream of homeownership. My parents took out a loan and purchased a $30,000 property in Saluda—just up the mountain from Lake Summit. With the loan money, my parents built a house for $225,000. This house stood off of a dirt road and was about a twenty-minute drive from downtown Hendersonville. In 2007, I entered Pre-K, and my parents sold this mountain home to move closer to town. As of this year, my first childhood home is now appraised for a million dollars. 

Across North Carolina, population growth far outpaces the growth in individual housing units. The 2020 census shows that for every two residents of Henderson County, there is less than one housing unit. Of those housing units, 7,000 remain unoccupied. Western North Carolina is a high-demand housing market, and many people want to appreciate and share in its natural beauty. However, demand for housing in this area far outpaces supply. As a result, housing prices continue to rise in Asheville and its “exurbs”—Hendersonville, Black Mountain, Weaverville. Unfortunately, both local municipalities and the state legislature refuse to act.  

With current housing costs, my generation will simply never have the same entry-level housing opportunities as generations prior. For example, my parents’ first home now hosts an appraised value of over a million dollars—unaffordable to my now-established middle-class parents if they sold their current house. This problem does not just exist in Western North Carolina but across the whole state. Upper-middle class Gen-Xers and Baby Boomers currently hold a monopoly on home ownership. These homeowners have no incentives to let their property values decrease to allow new entries into the market.  

To combat these outrageous housing prices and be able to afford homes, Gen Z must work to elect Democrats to statewide office. Nationwide, Democratic-run states build the most affordable housing. For example, in Tim Walz’s home state of Minnesota, housing costs have grown at a lower rate than the national average – with rents falling by 4% since 2019, while the national average was a 22% increase.  

In North Carolina, the only gubernatorial candidate that represents a move towards more affordable housing is Josh Stein. A new Democratic governor will challenge the Republican Party on their “free-market” principles and fight for fewer regulations on affordable housing.  

Josh Stein doesn’t just promise to make housing more affordable, but already has fought for affordable housing. In 2023, Josh Stein as state Attorney General and Governor Roy Cooper pushed the Unfair Real Estate Agreements Act through the state legislature. This law protected homeowners and renters from exploitative agreements with realty companies. Since the law’s passage, Josh Stein sued several realty companies and land-management agencies for exploitative contract practices. 

In 2023 and 2024, the Attorney General sought aggressive lawsuits to protect would-be homeowners and renters from exploitation. Josh Stein sued MVRealty for signing homeowners into exploitative contracts and MVRealty soon after closed its doors. Stein also sued RealPage for their exploitative rent practices, which artificially raise rates above market price. In a lawsuit that particularly affected students, Attorney General Stein won a settlement against a landlord that exploited NC State students. Josh Stein used his office to not just hold power but wield it. As governor, Josh Stein will expand beyond the courtroom and seek fair housing in the state legislature. 

Gen Z is seldom given a moment of relief. The climate crisis makes us fear for a sustainable future, and abortion rights are in jeopardy across the South. However, our window for economic opportunity is also diminishing. Rent and housing prices in North Carolina continue to go up, and to combat these increasing costs of living, we must give Democrats the ability to govern North Carolina. Josh Stein doesn’t just promise to protect, but actively fights for would-be homeowners and renters. I want to own a home and live a prosperous life like my parents, and that’s why I’m casting a vote for Josh Stein.