NCGOP doubles down for Mark Robinson after CNN report as Republican candidates mostly stay mum
Following the news tying the GOP’s gubernatorial candidate, Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, to a series of graphic, offensive and racist comments made online about a decade ago, many are waiting to see what Republican candidates running across North Carolina will say.
They’re also waiting to see what – if any – will be the fallout from this news for the GOP.
But so far, it’s been mostly radio silence from the party’s candidates, with just one candidate for executive statewide office taking a call from The News & Observer. Two GOP legislative candidates in tight races in Wake County have also made public comments, as well as a couple of congressional candidates.
Meanwhile, the state Republican Party said just after 8 p.m. Thursday on social media that Robinson “has categorically denied the allegations made by CNN but that won’t stop the Left from trying to demonize him via personal attacks. The left needs this election to be a personality contest, not a policy contest because if voters are focused on policy, Republicans win on Election Day.”
The NCGOP continued its statement by shifting focus to speak about Democrats and Vice President Kamala Harris, concluding that “the left can try to smear Mark Robinson all they want, but when voters go to the polls on Election Day, they are going to be asking one simple question: Are you better off now than you were four years ago? The answer is overwhelmingly no and that’s why Republicans will win on November 5th.”
CNN on Thursday broke the news that Robinson allegedly made a series of online comments years ago on a porn site, including calling himself a “Black Nazi” and saying, “Slavery is not bad.” Robinson also allegedly described instances where he spied on women in gym showers as a 14-year-old and used a racial slur against the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., among other things. Politico has also reported that Robinson appears to have been registered on Ashley Madison, a website for people looking for affairs.
These comments come in addition to derogatory ones he’s previously made about abortion, the LGBTQ+ community and minority groups.
A spokesperson for Robinson said he had not made an account on Ashley Madison, according to Politico. And Robinson in a video on X prior to the CNN news drop denounced the story as “salacious tabloid lies” and said he would stay in the race. The deadline for him to drop out was Thursday night and has now passed, meaning Robinson will likely remain on the ballot to face off against the Democratic candidate, Josh Stein, who is currently the state’s attorney general.
GOP Council of State candidates
In addition to the top of the ticket — the presidential race between Harris and Republican former President Donald Trump — there are down-ballot races.
This includes races to fill the state’s 10 executive offices, such as for lieutenant governor, superintendent of public instruction, treasurer and more.
North Carolina is a purple state — where voters will often split their ticket, meaning they’ll vote for candidates across party lines. The current governor, Roy Cooper, is a Democrat, with the other nine Council of State seats held by six Republicans and three Democrats.
The N&O reached out via telephone to all the GOP’s Council of State candidates — either directly or through their spokesperson — to hear their thoughts on Robinson.
The N&O was only able to reach Chad Brown via phone. Brown, who is running to become the GOP’s next secretary of state against longtime Democratic incumbent Elaine Marshall, said in a call that he was “out of town. So I just got back in and heard about a lot of it, so I’m really just now trying to get up to date on everything.
“I haven’t heard a lot about anything from anybody, so I’m just trying to find out what all is credible, what’s not credible.”
He asked to be called in a couple of hours to provide further comment after looking at the information in more detail. The N&O called back, but Brown didn’t answer. He then texted, saying he would call back, but had not done so as of when this story was published Friday evening.
Charles Hellwig, a campaign consultant for state Commissioner of Insurance Mike Causey, who is running for reelection, said via text, that “the campaign has no comment.” Causey is running against Democratic Sen. Natasha Marcus.
The GOP’s candidate for state commissioner of labor, Luke Farley, after a missed call from the N&O, texted back asking to call later but did not reply to an ensuing text and call.
None of the other campaigns replied in time for publication, including those of Michele Morrow for superintendent of public instruction, Dan Bishop for attorney general and Hal Weatherman for lieutenant governor.
Wake County candidates
In addition to contested statewide elections, some Republican candidates are also facing tight legislative races, in particular those who are running in districts in or near Democratic strongholds such as Wake County.
Scott Lassiter, a Republican candidate for state Senate, on Thursday called for Robinson to end his campaign and let another Republican take his place, as previously reported by The News & Observer.
Rep. Erin Paré, a Republican from Holly Springs who is running for reelection, said on social media Friday morning “the allegations regarding Mark Robinson are completely abhorrent and indefensible. Mark has told the public these allegations are false and it is his responsibility to prove that to North Carolina voters.“
“However, the turmoil at the top of ticket underscores the importance of state legislative races. The Democrats have nominated some of the most radical leftists in history for state legislature,” she said.
“While the Republicans have enacted policies that made NC top in the nation for business, cut your taxes, balanced the budget, lowered costs, increased education outcomes, invested in critical infrastructure and made our communities safer, the Democrats are running on policies that will raise taxes, raise costs, and slide the state backward on every level.” She called for people to vote for her instead of her “radical” opponent.
Paré is running for N.C. House District 37 against Democrat Safiyah Jackson.
Paré followed U.S. Sen. Ted Budd, who is not up for reelection this year, and U.S. Rep. Richard Hudson in calling on Robinson to prove he was not behind those posts.
U.S. Rep. Chuck Edwards said in a statement he found the report “shocking” but said Robinson should be allowed to “make his case to voters,” The N&O previously reported.
Republican State Treasurer Dale Folwell, who ran against Robinson in the primary for governor instead of seeking reelection to his own seat, has criticized Robinson.
Democrats have been vocal
Democrats have been vocal in denouncing Robinson, including during a press conference held by Cooper on Friday afternoon to speak on his vetoing a GOP-sponsored bill expanding private school vouchers.
On how the news about Robinson affected Democratic candidates’ possibilities in the state, Cooper said “most judicial candidates, most candidates for Council of State, most legislators that are Republicans have endorsed and embraced Mark Robinson. I mean, 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 a candidate.”
Asked during the press conference if he knew about Robinson’s posts before the news broke, Cooper said “he has made lots of posts and lots of statements in the same vein. So there’s not a whole lot new here about Mark Robinson’s character. They have known — Republican leaders and Donald Trump — have known who he is and embraced him and supported him from day one.”
Under the Dome
Get the latest news about North Carolina politics from The News & Observer's award-winning team. Get the free digest sent to your inbox by signing up here.