The storm of controversy surrounding Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson’s gubernatorial campaign showed no signs of calming over the weekend as fellow GOP candidates backed away from him and a top Republican in Washington challenged him to file a lawsuit or get out of the race.

By Sunday evening, top staffers on Robinson’s campaign had resigned while the candidate vowed to soldier on. Michael Lonergan, communications director for Robinson’s campaign, confirmed by text that Robinson would attend make two scheduled campaign stops in the western part of the state on Monday.

Asked whether there were any doubts that the Robinson campaign would make it to the finish line on November 5, Lonergan resent the news release announcing the resignations. In it, Robinson is quoted: “Polls have consistently underestimated Republican support in North Carolina for several cycles now and with a large portion of the electorate still undecided as we continue to ramp up our efforts across the state, I am confident our campaign remains in a strong position to make our case to the voters and win on November 5.”

In a report published Thursday afternoon on CNN, Robinson is linked to a series of highly objectionable comments made years ago in the chatroom of a pornographic website. The comments range from referring to himself as a “black NAZI” to describing himself as being aroused by a memory of “peeping” women in gym showers when he was 14 to having an appreciation of transgender pornography.

Just before the publication of the report, Robinson released a video denying the accusations.

”Let me reassure you the things that you will see in that story, those are not the words of Mark Robinson,” Robinson said in the video. “You know my words, you know my character and you know that I have been completely transparent in this race and before.”

Not good enough, said Republican U.S. Senator Thom Tillis, on the social media platform X. Robinson’s standard defense — his rivals are lying, with the media’s help — is insufficient in a toss-up presidential state with November looming.

On the campaign trail, Robinson has long encouraged voters to ignore attack ads and negative media reports about him.

“If the reporting on Mark Robinson is a total media fabrication, he needs to take immediate legal action,” Tillis posted on Friday. “If the reporting is true, he owes it to President Trump and every Republican to take accountability for his actions and put the future of NC & our party before himself.”

On Thursday, which he referred to as a “tough day,” Tillis had written on X that Republicans “must focus on the races we can win.”

Robinson’s poll numbers against Attorney General and Democratic candidate for governor Josh Stein were dismal even before the CNN story broke, tallying double-digit leads in some polls over the last month. 

Trump — who had joked with Robinson about his weight onstage at a rally last month in Asheboro — spoke for an hour in Wilmington on Saturday but did not mention Robinson’s name. 

At the Governor’s Mansion on Friday, Gov. Roy Cooper batted aside a question about how Democrats might seek to tie other Republican candidates to Robinson. “Republicans have tied themselves to Mark Robinson,” Cooper said. 

In Raleigh and in Washington, reporters with North Carolina credentials saw a sharp increase in interview requests from national media shows intrigued by the story, both for its salaciousness and the question of whether the situation might be bad enough to hurt Trump’s chances in the state.

Tillis, the state’s senior United States senator, is not up for reelection until 2026. But candidates on the ballot in November struggled to orient themselves to the new political atmosphere. 

Meanwhile, anyone trying to take a break from politics to watch football on Saturday found the airwaves awash in two fresh ads attacking Robinson — one from the Stein campaign and one from the campaign of Vice-President and Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris. Neither mentions anything from the CNN report.

On Sunday, Robinson’s video dismissal of the charges in the CNN report had reached 5.7 million views and 97,000 reposts while garnering 13,000 comments as well as 26,000 likes. 

---

Donald Trump’s problem (Paul Specht, WRAL News, 9/21/24) A series of racist and lewd posts on a pornographic website more than a decade ago, unveiled last week, have produced a surreal scenario: The election to decide the next leader of the free world could be upended by a down-ballot candidate in the ninth-largest state in the country — a Republican North Carolina gubernatorial nominee who has amassed a mountain of negative headlines that Democrats are weaponizing in the presidential race.

North Carolina is considered one of only a few battleground states in the presidential election, along with Pennsylvania, Georgia, Wisconsin and others. It’s a state former president Donald Trump carried by less than 75,000 votes in the 2020 presidential election, and one he’ll need again to return to the White House.

And yet Democrats believe — and Republicans fear — that Trump’s odds of defeating Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris could be hampered by a North Carolina man Trump has endorsed and praised on multiple occasions: Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson.

The Republican gubernatorial candidate has made a number of controversial statements about abortion, women, the LGBTQ community and Jewish people. Attorney General Josh Stein, the Democratic gubernatorial nominee, has used those comments to attack Robinson and build up a double-digit lead in the race.

Now national Democrats are elevating Trump and Robinson’s relationship in hopes that can sink both campaigns.

Trump is now distancing itself from a candidate who he once described as “Martin Luther King on steroids.” A Trump spokesperson told the Associated Press that Robinson — who Trump has regularly campaigned with in years past — wasn’t invited to speak at Trump’s rally in Wilmington Saturday. The two haven’t shared the stage in a month.

“It’s ultimately up to Mark Robinson and North Carolina whether he’s going to be their governor and whether he wants to stay in the race,” Trump’s running mate, JD Vance, told NBC News on Saturday. “I’ll let them make that decision.”

Meanwhile, Republicans in other competitive North Carolina races deleted pictures of themselves with Robinson and issued statements condemning his alleged comments on the porn site. Democratic groups have already sent mail ads to voters accusing Republican legislative candidates of sharing Robinson’s beliefs.

Robinson may prove toxic to GOP candidates up and down the ballot — a prospect that has outraged Republicans such as Pat McCrory, the only Republican elected governor of North Carolina in the last two decades.

In interviews Friday, McCrory blamed Republican National Committee leader Michael Whatley for Robinson’s rise. Whatley served as chair of the North Carolina Republican Party from 2019 until March, when he was elevated to lead the RNC.

McCrory told CNN Whatley “ignored many known flaws that many of us knew about [Robinson] and just assumed they’d be brushed over. But [Robinson’s campaign] has been a ticking time bomb for several years now.” Whatley didn’t respond to a request for comment.

Even if a candidate touts multiple endorsements and becomes a crowd favorite, it’s the responsibility of the voters and the front-runner’s opponents to investigate whether that person is fit for office, said Paul Shumaker, a longtime Republican strategist.

“It’s not for the party to pick and choose one candidate over the other. It’s not the party’s role to vet these candidates,” Shumaker said. “It’s the party’s role to remain neutral.”

But until recently, political strategists and Republican candidates said, none of Robinson’s opponents had the financial or political support — or the gumption — to mount a more aggressive campaign against him.

Now that other Republican candidates may face political consequences for their associations with Robinson, some are calling on the GOP to intervene.

---

Cooper’s take (Clifton Dowell, State Affairs Pro, 2/23/24) At the Governor’s Mansion on Friday, Gov. Roy Cooper batted aside a question about how Democrats might seek to tie other Republican candidates to embattled Robinson. “Republicans have tied themselves to Mark Robinson,” Cooper said. 

“Donald Trump and North Carolina Republican leaders have known about [Robinson’s] character and the kind of statements that he’s made, his disrespect for women, his incitement to violence,” Cooper said. “This is something that was known across the board, yet they have continued to support him, even to this very minute.”

Asked by The Associated Press whether the Robinson controversy might improve the Democrats’ chances to break GOP supermajorities in the North Carolina House and Senate and in other elections, Cooper continued to press his point. 

“Most judicial candidates, most candidates for Council of State, most legislators that are Republican have endorsed and embraced Mark Robinson,” Cooper said. “I think every North Carolinian when they go to vote ought to look at whether a candidate has done that, because that sends a strong message about who you are as a candidate.”

---

Staff resignations: (Colin Campbell, WUNC News, 9/22/24) Days after a CNN report about racist and sexual comments posted on a pornography forum, all but a few of Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson’s campaign team quit their jobs on Sunday.

A campaign news release said that four top staffers have left the campaign: Conrad Pogorzelski, general consultant and senior advisor who’s worked for Robinson since his initial 2020 lieutenant governor campaign; Chris Rodriguez, campaign manager; Heather Whillier, finance director; and Jason Rizk, deputy campaign manager.

But WUNC has confirmed that other staffers have quit as well, leaving Robinson with just three people working on his campaign — two campaign spokesmen and a bodyguard. The list of departures also include longtime director of operations Patrick Riley and political directors John Kontoulas and Jackson Lohrer.

Sunday’s news release says that new staff hires will be announced “in the coming days.” But hiring a new campaign team less than two months from Election Day will be tough for a campaign rocked by scandal.

Robinson thanked his departing staffers in a news release. “I appreciate the efforts of these team members who have made the difficult choice to step away from the campaign, and I wish them well in their future endeavors,” Robinson said in the release. “Polls have consistently underestimated Republican support in North Carolina for several cycles now and with a large portion of the electorate still undecided as we continue to ramp up our efforts across the state, I am confident our campaign remains in a strong position to make our case to the voters and win on November 5.”

---

Attack ads: (Clifton Dowell, State Affairs Pro, 2/23/24) Anyone trying to take a break from politics to watch football in North Carolina on Saturday found the airwaves awash in fresh commercials attacking Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, the Republican nominee for governor who was recently the subject of a CNN investigation into his past comments on the message boards of a pornographic website. 

An ad referring to the allegations in the CNN report was published Saturday by The Lincoln Project. The ad toys with the narrative by saying Robinson has been seen in public with a convicted felon — Donald J. Trump — but goes on to call Robinson a “weirdo.”

A commercial from the campaign of Attorney General and Democratic candidate for Governor Josh Stein calls Robinson dangerous, extreme, unhinged and “unfit to be governor.”

A commercial from the campaign of Vice-President and Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris seeks to link Robinson and former president Donald J. Trump with a series of video clips, ending with the assertion that Robinson and Trump are both wrong for North Carolina. 

The Stein and Harris ads do not refer to the CNN report.

---

“It’s All True” |  The Lincoln Project

TRANSCRIPT

Narrator: “Have you heard the latest about North Carolina Republican candidate for governor Mark Robinson? It’s all true.”

“He’s been seen in public with a convicted felon, not just any felon, but a felon who was found liable for sexual assault by his hometown jury.”

“He even praises the felon.”

Robinson: “On this stage, today, I am endorsing Donald J. Trump as the president of the United States of America.”

Narrator: “What a weirdo.”

“He loves the felon, and the felon loves the weirdo.”

Trump: “This is Martin Luther King on steroids.”

Narrator: “Everything you’ve heard about Mark Robinson and Donald Trump is true. They deserve each other, but North Carolina and America deserve better.”

---

“Both Wrong | Harris-Walz 2024” | Kamala Harris campaign

TRANSCRIPT

Trump: “And he’s been an unbelievable lieutenant governor, Mark Robinson.”

Robinson: “For me, there’s no compromise on abortion.”

Trump: “I think you’re better than Martin Luther King.”

Robinson: “We could pass a bill saying you can’t have an abortion in North Carolina for any reason.”

Robinson: “Abortion in this country is about killing a child because you weren’t responsible enough to keep your skirt down.”

Trump: “I’ve been with him a lot, I’ve gotten to know him, and he’s outstanding.”

Narrator: “Donald Trump and Mark Robinson: They’re both wrong for North Carolina.”

---

“War” | Josh Stein campaign

TRANSCRIPT

IS THIS WHO YOU WANT AS YOUR GOVERNOR?

Robinson: “I got them AR-15s in case the government gets too big for its britches, cause I’m going to fill the backside of them britches with some lead.” 

Robinson: “Go into battle and take the head of your enemy.”

Robinson: “Cause it’s time to go to war, folks.” 

Robinson: “Get mad at me if you want to. Some folks need killing.” 

MARK ROBINSON IS EXTREME, DANGEROUS, UNHINGED

Robinson: “It’s time for somebody to say it.” (No video)

MARK ROBINSON IS UNFIT TO BE GOVERNOR

Robinson: “Some folks need killing.” 

---

What if he goes? (Will Doran, WRAL News, 9/20/24) Some North Carolina Republicans are calling on their party’s gubernatorial nominee, Mark Robinson, to drop out of the race for governor following a report about comments he is alleged to have made more than a decade ago on a pornographic website.

Robinson has denied the allegations, reported by CNN, and has said he’s staying in the race. But if that changes, here’s what could happen:

The ballot won’t change: Ballots started going out Friday morning to overseas and military voters. So Thursday would’ve been the last chance for Republican officials to go to court to try stopping those ballots — potentially buying at least a few days to find a replacement. Robinson didn’t ask to be removed, nor did the party. The fact they didn’t take that step indicates GOP leaders take Robinson at his word that he will stay in the race.

Ballots and the start of mail-in voting were already delayed once by the Republican-led state Supreme Court, in response to a GOP-backed lawsuit seeking to get ex-presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s name off the ballot after Kennedy endorsed Trump.

Robinson can still drop out, despite ballots: Even though the ballots won’t change no matter what, Robinson still can technically drop out of the race if he chooses. Under state law, it would be up to the executive committee of the North Carolina Republican Party to pick a replacement candidate. Party insiders say that committee is made up of several hundred GOP leaders and activists from across the state.

Votes transferred to replacement candidate: If state Republican Party leaders name a new nominee, they’d find themselves needing to convince voters that casting a vote for Robinson on the ballot this year wouldn’t actually go to Robinson, but rather to the replacement candidate. Such strategies are extremely rare, typically used in cases where a candidate dies shortly before an election.

No coming back, if you drop out: In a case where the person named on the ballot is still alive but has dropped out and been replaced by their party, state law says that person couldn’t try to claim the votes for themselves after the election.

In other words, if Robinson dropped out and then the GOP’s replacement candidate ended up winning, Robinson couldn’t attempt to claim he should be governor since his name was on the ballot. “A vote cast for the candidate whose name is printed on the ballot is required to be counted as a vote for the replacement nominee,” State Board of Elections spokesman Pat Gannon said.

---

Robinson public appearance (WRAL News, 9/21/24; Rachael Riley, The Fayetteville Observer, 9/21/24) North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson made his first public appearance since the scandal broke Saturday evening at a meet-and-greet in Fayetteville. Speaking at the Carlton Lamm “Big C” Memorial Race event at Fayetteville Motor Speedway. Robinson positioned himself as a conservative, Christian candidate focused on key issues. He largely avoided discussing the recent allegations against him. He only hinted at the scandal.

“While everybody else wants to focus on the garbage, and the trash that tries to besmirch people, we’re out here telling people about what we want to do, how we want to partner with you to make this state better and help North Carolina be better,” Robinson said.

Some of his supporters, including Justin Hall, do not believe the allegations. “If I could call it true, I would definitely be concerned, but I don’t believe it’s true,” Hall said. “I believe it’s something that was made up because democrats are getting desperate.” Others argue that even if it’s true, it’s part of his past.

After about two minutes of remarks, Robinson rode in a golf cart through the race track’s pit area, before meeting with the crowd in the stands for about 5 minutes after the races started, with his wife, Yolanda, along his side. He returned to talk to people in the stands and take photos at about 7 p.m. for another 30 minutes.

---

For questions or comments, or to pass along story ideas, please write to Clifton Dowell at [email protected] or @StateAffairsNC on X.

Know the most important news affecting North-carolina

Get our free weekly newsletter that covers government, policy and politics that impact your everyday life—in 5 minutes or less.

Sign Up