Mark Robinson scandal could send shockwaves through NC campaign trail
RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- The fallout continues after bombshell allegations against Lt. Gov Mark Robinson went public Thursday.
It remains to be seen what the effect will be on the election with less than a month until in-person early voting here in North Carolina, not just in the race for governor, but also the race for the White House.
In a message on X, Robinson, the Republican gubernatorial candidate, denied CNN's reporting of allegations of racist and incendiary messages posted on a pornography site message board more than a decade ago, calling the accusations "salacious tabloid lies" and blaming his opponent, Attorney General Josh Stein, for leaking the story. Robinson vowed to stay in the race and has done so.
ABC News has not verified CNN's reporting.
ABC11 caught up with Stein on Friday. The Democratic candidate for governor denied that his campaign was behind the Robinson story. He also said he wasn't surprised by the details, and added that it did not change his decision not to debate Robinson before the election.
"(Robinson) has said that he is a Nazi, he has said that he is a conspiracy theorist. My job is to talk to the voters of North Carolina," Stein told ABC11. "He is not a normal candidate, and I refuse to normalize him."
Even before the news dropped, recent polling found that while the presidential race was virtually tied in North Carolina, Stein had begun to open up an 8-point lead on Robinson in the race for governor.
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Democratic volunteers such as Mona Singh said the Robinson news only made their case stronger, and they're hoping the coattails for governor will also be enough to carry Vice President Kamala Harris across the finish line in her presidential bid.
"We were actually thankful that he did not drop out of the race because that makes our job a whole lot easier. It really does. It makes it pretty apparent to the people what kind of people are standing from the Republican side," Singh said.
The NCGOP is standing by Robinson and so are its most loyal volunteers. On the ground, canvassers such as Sandy Joiner with the Western Wake Republican Club said that while it makes their job more challenging, they're still urging Republicans to back the entire ticket.
"You'll have people calling, saying, you know, what should I say? What does the party believe? But pretty much everybody that I work with, that I canvass with, that's messaged me today or yesterday, they're pretty much standing behind him because he's denied the allegations at this point," Joiner said.
Former President Donald Trump, who endorsed Robinson in the primary, is rallying voters Saturday in Wilmington. Meanwhile, Democrats are planning campaign ads attempting to tie Trump to Robinson.
Robinson is not expected to attend former Trump's Wilmington rally, multiple sources told ABC News.
People familiar with the campaign said Robinson was never formally invited to attend the event. Trump has not given any indication that he intends to pull his endorsement of Robinson.
