NC Lt. Gov. Robinson won’t run for US Senate in 2022. Here’s who is still in the mix.
North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson will not run for the U.S. Senate in 2022, the Republican announced Monday, just days after saying he was taking a “serious look” at a campaign.
He announced his decision in a statement posted on Facebook Monday night, saying he won’t seek the Republican nomination to replace retiring U.S. Sen. Richard Burr. In his statement, he said he will “always work to do what I believe is right, and to put the people above my own self interests. I will strive to honor my responsibilities and keep my promises.”
In his statement, Robinson said he had received calls encouraging him to run, and a poll showed him with strong support.
“I am proud of what my team and I have accomplished in such a short period of time, especially with the important task of education,” he said.
Robinson, 52, is the first Black lieutenant governor in North Carolina history. He won election in November after not holding elected office previously. Robinson gained attention after an impassioned pro-gun speech in 2018 to the Greensboro City Council went viral.
Thursday, Robinson posted a video on Facebook that announced his intentions to explore a possible candidacy. But the video was removed about an hour later.
“I’m coming to you here today from my office,” Robinson said in the three-minute video. “Just want to talk to you about what I’m sure most of you have already heard, about the rumors about me running for the U.S. Senate.”
Robinson and his chief of staff, Conrad Pogorzelski, didn’t respond to several messages from The News & Observer about Robinson’s plans or why the video was removed, The News & Observer reported.
Who is running for US Senate in NC?
In his statement Monday, he said he would work to recruit and support candidates in the 2022 election at all levels of government. He said he hopes to help Republicans take back control of the U.S. House and Senate.
The US Senate race is becoming crowded with high-profile candidates from both parties.
Former U.S. Rep. Mark Walker and former Gov. Pat McCrory, both Republicans, have announced their candidacies for Senate. U.S. Rep Ted Budd and Lara Trump, a North Carolina native and daughter-in-law of former President Donald Trump, are considering runs. Jen Banwart, of Raleigh, is also running for the GOP nomination.
There are at least four Democratic candidates in the field: State Sen. Jeff Jackson, former State Sen. Erica Smith, Beaufort Mayor Rett Newton and virologist Richard Watkins. Cheri Beasley, the former chief justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court, is also expected to run.
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