Republicans running for office in North Carolina and across the country are actively distancing themselves from Mark Robinson, the embattled Republican nominee for governor. Following CNN’s report on inflammatory comments Robinson made on a pornography website’s message board over a decade ago, the fallout has been significant. Robinson’s controversial statements, which include referring to himself as a ‘black NAZI’ and expressing support for slavery, have rendered him politically toxic.
At least ten Republican politicians and conservative groups have severed ties with Robinson by cancelling events or deleting digital evidence of their association with him. Laurie Buckhout, a US House candidate in North Carolina’s 1st Congressional District, has removed at least nine photos of herself with Robinson from her social media platform X, according to screenshots and a Google cache of her tweets. She also deleted a post referring to Robinson as ‘North Carolina’s next governor’ and appears to have deleted five tweets in total.
Similarly, Dave Boliek, the GOP candidate for state auditor in North Carolina, deleted a Facebook post that featured Robinson in August 2024. State Senator Lisa Stone Barnes, running for reelection, removed at least one photo of herself with Robinson from January 2021 from her Facebook account, although some photos remain. Additionally, State Representative Bill Ward edited a post to remove a photo of himself with Robinson, although images of Robinson at the event remain visible. Stacie McGinn, running for state Senate in Mecklenburg County, deleted a post praising Robinson for commemorating a slain police officer, although photos of events featuring Robinson from previous years remain online.
State Representative Allen Chesser removed Robinson’s endorsement from his website, as confirmed by the Wayback Machine. Among the candidates who removed posts featuring Robinson, only Stacie McGinn provided a statement, calling Robinson’s comments ‘reprehensible’ and emphasising that Robinson must prove his innocence to the voters of North Carolina. GOP nominee for lieutenant governor Hal Weatherman echoed similar sentiments, stressing that Robinson should focus on disproving the allegations against him while Republican candidates concentrate on their own races.
Prominent North Carolina Republicans in Washington have also criticised Robinson. US Senator Thom Tillis stated, ‘I believe that Mr. Robinson needs to make a call fairly quickly, defend his name or […] we’ve got to move on.’ Tillis previously supported Robinson’s opponent in the gubernatorial primary and suggested that he might not vote for Robinson in the general election if the allegations remain unchallenged. North Carolina’s junior senator, Ted Budd, who endorsed Robinson last year, acknowledged the ‘very disturbing’ nature of CNN’s report but confirmed he would still vote for him.
Outside of North Carolina, national Republicans and conservative advocacy groups have also distanced themselves from Robinson. Georgia Governor Brian Kemp withdrew his endorsement on Monday, while Tennessee Governor Bill Lee, chair of the Republican Governors Association (RGA), similarly retracted his endorsement and cancelled an RGA fundraiser in Greensboro, North Carolina. Consequently, the RGA confirmed it would no longer financially support the gubernatorial race.
A fundraiser in Wisconsin to support the Trump-Vance campaign on September 29 was revised to exclude Robinson as a speaker. Similarly, a fundraiser for the conservative group Dakota First Action in October and a ‘get out the vote’ rally with the Johnston County GOP on October 3 have removed Robinson from their promotional materials. Robinson’s own events page, previously filled with activities, is now empty. Furthermore, the National Rifle Association ceased airing ads in support of Robinson or against his opponent, Attorney General Josh Stein, according to Facebook’s ad disclosure. CNN also reported that Robinson’s digital ads stopped over the weekend and have not restarted since.
The distancing of Republican candidates and groups from Mark Robinson underscores the significant political fallout from his controversial comments. The speed and extent to which his former allies have moved to erase their associations with him highlight the seriousness of the allegations and the urgency felt within the party to mitigate any further damage. Robinson now faces the critical challenge of addressing these allegations to salvage his gubernatorial campaign and political career.
