NC Gov. Pat McCrory Would Relegate Caitlyn Jenner to the Men's Room

— -- Caitlyn Jenner will be required to use the men’s room at public facilities in North Carolina if she ever visits the Tar Heel State, Gov. Pat McCrory said.

McCrory made the remark Tuesday night when responding to a question at the state’s gubernatorial debate, in which Democratic challenger Roy Cooper slammed the Republican governor for signing House Bill 2, dubbed the bathroom bill, which negates local anti-discrimination protections for LGBT people and bars people from using public bathrooms that don't match the gender indicated on their birth certificate.

Jenner, who has become a leading advocate for transgender rights since coming out as a trans woman, came up during the heated discussion. When asked by debate moderator Chuck Todd of NBC News which restroom Jenner should be allowed to use, McCrory said, “In the private sector in North Carolina, she can go wherever the private sector wants her to, because we don’t want to be in the private business of the private sector.”

“If she’s going to a shower facility at UNC–Chapel Hill after running around the track, she’s going to use the men’s shower,” he said, referring to the University of North Carolina campus.

Jenner did not immediately respond to ABC News’ request for comment.

Cooper, the state’s attorney general, avoided a direct answer when posed the same question, instead saying the state shouldn’t be involved in making that decision and local governments should be trusted to handle such issues.

He vowed to repeal House Bill 2. The law has triggered a wave of cancellations in North Carolina, ranging from concerts and athletic events to plans by major corporations.

“We need a good jobs governor, not an HB2 governor,” Cooper said during the debate, at UNC-TV studios in Research Triangle Park.

The face-off was overshadowed in portions of North Carolina by the devastating aftermath of Hurricane Matthew, which has left hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses without power.

Matthew pummeled Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia for days before weakening to a post-tropical cyclone and veering out to sea Sunday. North Carolina was one of the worst hit, with at least 19 storm-related deaths.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.