Governor nominee vows to keep running after report on racial, sexual comments

RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA — 

North Carolina Republican gubernatorial nominee Mark Robinson vowed connected Thursday to stay successful the contention contempt a CNN study that helium posted powerfully worded radical and intersexual comments connected an online connection board, saying helium won't beryllium forced retired by "salacious tabloid lies."

Robinson, the sitting lieutenant politician who decisively won his GOP gubernatorial superior successful March, has been trailing successful respective caller polls to Democratic nominee Josh Stein, the existent lawyer general.

"We are staying successful this race. We are successful it to triumph it," Robinson said successful a video posted Thursday connected the societal media level X. "And we cognize that with your help, we will."

Robinson referenced successful the video a communicative that helium said CNN was running, but helium didn't springiness details.

"Let maine reassure you, the things that you volition spot successful that communicative — those are not the words of Mark Robinson," helium said. "You cognize my words. You cognize my character."

The CNN study describes a bid of radical and intersexual comments Robinson posted connected the connection committee of a pornography website much than a decennary ago.

CNN reported that Robinson, who would beryllium North Carolina's archetypal Black governor, attacked civilian rights person Martin Luther King Jr. successful searing presumption and erstwhile referred to himself arsenic a "black NAZI."

CNN besides reported that Robinson wrote of being aroused by a representation of "peeping" astatine women successful gym showers erstwhile helium was 14 on with an appreciation of transgender pornography. Robinson astatine 1 constituent referred to himself arsenic a "perv," according to CNN.

The Associated Press has not independently confirmed that Robinson wrote and posted the messages. CNN said it matched details of the relationship connected the pornographic website forum to different online accounts held by Robinson by comparing usernames, a known email code and his afloat name.

CNN reported that details discussed by the relationship holder matched Robinson's age, magnitude of matrimony and different biographical information. It besides compared figures of code that came up often successful his nationalist Twitter illustration that appeared successful discussions by the relationship connected the pornographic website.

Media outlets already person reported astir a 2021 code by Robinson successful a religion successful which helium utilized the connection "filth" erstwhile discussing cheery and transgender people.

Robinson has a past of inflammatory comments that Stein has said made him excessively utmost to pb North Carolina, a authorities connected the U.S. Atlantic coast. They already person contributed to the imaginable that run struggles for Robinson would wounded erstwhile President Donald Trump’s bid to triumph the battleground state's 16 electoral votes, and imaginable different GOP down-ballot candidates.

Recent polls of North Carolina voters amusement Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris locked successful a adjacent race. The aforesaid polls amusement Stein with a astir 10-point pb implicit Robinson.

Stein and his allies person repeatedly cited a Facebook station from 2019 successful which Robinson said termination successful America was astir "killing the kid due to the fact that you weren't liable capable to support your skirt down."

The Stein run said successful a connection aft the study that "North Carolinians already cognize Mark Robinson is wholly unfit to beryllium Governor."

State instrumentality says a gubernatorial nominee could retreat arsenic a campaigner nary aboriginal than the time earlier the archetypal absentee ballots requested by subject and overseas voters are distributed. That begins Friday, truthful the withdrawal deadline would beryllium precocious Thursday. State Republican leaders could past prime a replacement.

Trump has often voiced his enactment for Robinson, who has been considered a rising prima successful his party, well-known for his fiery speeches and evocative rhetoric. Ahead of the March primary, Trump astatine a rally successful Greensboro called Robinson "Martin Luther King connected steroids" for his speaking ability.

Trump's run appears to beryllium distancing itself from Robinson successful the aftermath of the report. In a connection to the AP, Trump run spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said the GOP nominee's run "is focused connected winning the White House and redeeming this country," calling North Carolina "a captious portion of that plan."

Leavitt went connected to opposition Trump's economical grounds with that of Harris, not mentioning Robinson by sanction oregon answering questions arsenic to whether helium would look with Trump astatine a Saturday run rally successful Wilmington oregon had been invited to bash so.

A spokesperson for Harris' campaign, Ammar Moussa, said connected societal media level X that "Donald Trump has a Mark Robinson problem" and reposted a photograph of the 2 together.

The North Carolina Republican Party defended Robinson successful a connection connected X, saying that contempt his denial of CNN's report, it wouldn't "stop the Left from trying to demonize him via idiosyncratic attacks." The enactment referred to economical and migration policies arsenic the predominant predetermination issues North Carolinians volition attraction much astir instead.

"The Left needs this predetermination to beryllium a property contest, not a argumentation contention due to the fact that if voters focused connected policy, Republicans triumph connected Election Day," the enactment said.

Scott Lassiter, a Republican authorities Senate campaigner successful a Raleigh-area plaything district, did telephone connected Robinson to "suspend his run to let a prime campaigner to decorativeness this race."

Ed Broyhill, a North Carolina subordinate of the Republican National Committee, said helium spoke to Robinson Thursday day and inactive supports him arsenic the nominee. In an interview, Broyhill suggested the online details whitethorn person been fabricated.

"It seems similar a soiled instrumentality to me," Broyhill said.

On Capitol Hill, U.S. Representative Richard Hudson of North Carolina, seat of the House GOP's run committee, told reporters the report's findings were "concerning." Robinson, helium said, has immoderate reassuring to bash successful the state.

Robinson, 56, was elected lieutenant politician successful his archetypal bid for nationalist bureau successful 2020. He tells a beingness communicative of puerility poverty, jobs that helium blames the North American Free Trade Agreement for ending, and idiosyncratic bankruptcy. His four-minute code to the Greensboro City Council defending weapon rights and lamenting the "demonizing" of constabulary officers went viral — and led him to a National Rifle Association committee presumption and popularity among blimpish voters.