A breakdown of Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson’s history amid bombshell CNN report, calls to step aside

GREENSBORO, N.C. (WGHP) — North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, Republican nominee for governor, faces startling allegations in a new report released on Thursday.

The report from CNN connects Robinson to several online accounts where Robinson discussed a variety of topics, ranging from enjoying transgender porn, peeping on girls as a teenager without their knowledge and calling Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. a “f—— commie bastard.”

It also connected Robinson to an AdultFriendFinder account and an account on a porn website where he calls himself a “black Nazi!”

“Robinson’s comments on Nude Africa often frequently contained derogatory and racial slurs directed at Black, Jewish and Muslim people,” CNN wrote.

Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson released a video on his X account on Thursday afternoon before the reports were released, addressing the rumors, which he called “outrageous lies” and a “high-tech lynching.” He attributes the reports to the campaign of his Democratic opponent, state Attorney General Josh Stein.

A subsequent report from Politico added that an email address belonging to Robinson was registered on Ashley Madison, a website designed for married people seeking affairs.

He affirmed he had no intention of dropping out of the race, despite the pressure.

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Josh Stein’s campaign released the following statement on Thursday afternoon:

On Thursday, Robinson canceled campaign events, according to CBS17. He was also absent from a JD Vance campaign event on Wednesday.

Staff was spotted cleaning out an office affiliated with the lieutenant governor, but N.C. state Sen. Phil Berger (R-Rockingham) said that was something that had been in the works for several weeks.

U.S. Sen. Ted Budd (R-NC) told NewsNation, “The allegations are concerning but we don’t have any facts. We’re going to wait through the weekend and get everything together.”

N.C. state Senate nominee Scott Lassiter called for Robinson to suspend his campaign in a statement.

“As a proud Republican, I stand for hard work, fiscal responsibility, and liberty. But no one should feel obligated to support a candidate solely due to party affiliation,” Lassiter said. “Wrong is still wrong, and if the recent allegations against Robinson are true, combined with his previous public rhetoric, I believe it’s time for him to step aside. North Carolinians deserve a viable choice in this election.”

RFK Jr. removed from NC ballots

The North Carolina State Board of Elections has recently had to contend with unexpected changes to the ballot when Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., who was running for president as an independent, suspended his presidential campaign in August.

His push to ensure North Carolina removed him from ballots led to a legal battle that rose to the North Carolina Court of Appeals. The court decision forced the state to delay mailing absentee ballots until the ballots could be reprinted.

The NCSBE has said a candidate has until midnight Thursday to withdraw, but whether or not there would be time to remove his name is unclear.

If Robinson were to drop out of the race but his name kept on the ballot, state law dictates that any votes cast for him would instead go to a replacement candidate chosen the state’s executive committee.

Robinson’s background

Robinson was born in Greensboro. Prior to running for North Carolina lieutenant governor, he held furniture factory jobs and worked with his wife to run a daycare in the early 2000s, which controversially received citations and which he called “difficult to keep afloat.” He has spoken of losing jobs which he blames on the North American Free Trade Agreement.

He has a long history of financial struggles. On his campaign website, he says he “grew up extremely poor as the ninth of ten children.” As an adult, he has had multiple bankruptcies and ended up five years behind on taxes. He’s been scrutinized for rent non-payment and vehicle tax non-payment. The nonprofit his wife ran from prior to his political career until 2024 is also under scrutiny, both state and federal, for financial and operational issues, according to the NCDHHS.

Robinson launched himself into the public consciousness when video from an April 2018 meeting of the Greensboro City Council went viral. In that video, he gave an impassioned speech about his beliefs on gun regulations in response to the cancelation of a gun show at the Greensboro Coliseum. The speech was turned into an NRA advertisement. He would later serve as a board member for the NRA.

The issue of the Greensboro Coliseum and gun shows would later become a lawsuit between mayoral hopeful Eric Robert and the city, which Robert ultimately dropped.

He was elected lieutenant governor, his first political office, and became the first Black man to hold that office in 2020. During his time as lieutenant governor, he started the FACTS Taskforce, dedicated to “exposing indoctrination in the classroom” and giving parents a way to submit instructional material or library books found in North Carolina schools that parents or community members find objectionable.

He has faced criticism for homophobic and anti-transgender comments, including during a podcast appearance in February 2023, as well as accusations that he has perpetuated conspiracy theories about the attack on Paul Pelosi and Michelle Obama’s gender. Most recently, during a March 19 speaking engagement at Trinity Baptist Church in Mooresville, he said that seeing churches that fly the rainbow flag “makes him sick.”

He has been open about his anti-abortion views at various speaking engagements, calling North Carolina a “destination state for death“ on a radio appearance. Critics have pointed out that Robinson’s own wife has gotten an abortion, which he has lamented as “the hardest decision we ever made, and, sadly, we made the wrong one.” In recent months, he has softened, publicly stating his support for the abortion law as it’s on the books, a 12-week limitation.

Talking Points Media combed through nearly a decade of social media activity, calling him a “Facebook brawler who rails against gays, blacks and Jews,” citing posts where he discusses antisemitic conspiracy theories like globalism and the New World Order.

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