North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, the Republican nominee for governor, is said to be bracing for a damning CNN report that reportedly involves “activity on adult websites in the 2000s,” according to the Carolina Journal.
Robinson is facing pressure from within his party to drop out before the end of the day Thursday, which is the deadline to withdrawal from the race.
The Carolina Journal reports that sources claim Attorney General Josh Stein‘s campaign leaked the story to CNN and Raleigh’s WRAL. Stein is Robinson’s opponent in the North Carolina governor’s race.
North Carolina Lieutenant Governor Mark Robinson speaks before a rally for former President Donald Trump in Selma, North Carolina on April 9, 2022.
Allison Joyce/Getty Images
Robinson has reportedly resisted withdrawing and has privately denied the claims.
Newsweek has reached out to the lieutenant governor’s spokesperson and campaign for comment ahead of the CNN story, which is believed to be imminent.
On his X account, Robinson stated that he was ready to defend himself and accused his opponents of trying to divert attention to “tabloid trash.”
“The things you see in that story are not my words. You know my words, my character, and I’ve been completely transparent in this campaign,” Robinson said on X.
Robinson, a favorite of Donald Trump‘s, is looking to succeed term-limited Democrat Roy Cooper in a state that has voted for Trump twice and has backed Republicans for the presidency all but once since 1980. Robinson is popular for his working-class history and a blunt speaking style that at times resembles Trump’s.
But Robinson also has a history of inflammatory comments that his opponent has said makes him too extreme to lead North Carolina. It raises the prospect that campaign struggles for Robinson could hurt Trump’s chances to win a state he cannot afford to lose to Democrat Kamala Harris.
On a Facebook post in 2019, Robinson said abortion in America was about “killing the child because you weren’t responsible enough to keep your skirt down.” In a 2021 speech in a church, he used the word “filth” when discussing gay and transgender people.
Democrats led by Cooper, a top surrogate for Harris, have tried to make the case that North Carolina’s 16 electoral votes are ripe to win. Trump’s 1.3 percentage point victory in North Carolina over Democrat Joe Biden in 2020 was the narrowest for Trump.
Cooper argues that Republican candidates with views closely linked to Trump — Robinson and state schools superintendent candidate Michele Morrow among them — could turn out people who otherwise would not have voted for Democrats.
Stein had a lead over Robinson in two polls of North Carolina voters conducted in August.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
