Republican Mark Robinson, NC gov. candidate in Burnsville: 'We're right about everything'

BURNSVILLE - The heavy beats of "Believer" by Imagine Dragons, boomed as Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson walked to the stage to address the cheering crowd in the Burnsville Town Square for roughly 20 minutes.

Billed as a "Faith, Family and Fun Night" was Robinson's first appearance in Burnsville since becoming lieutenant governor in 2020. The crowd of about 250 people included all ages, from children to parents and grandparents.

The Republican candidate for North Carolina governor, Robinson made the stop the evening of Sept. 14 as a campaign rally ahead of the Nov. 5 general election. He faces Democratic gubernatorial candidate Attorney General Josh Stein.

Just more than a minute into his speech, Robinson called out Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris, who he called "a despicable individual."

"There are people across this country who are suffering, parents who have lost children to fentanyl, parents who have lost loved ones to murderous illegals," Robinson said. "There are people who are losing their jobs. Their businesses are shutting down because of inflation."

"What this election boils down to is just simple right and wrong," Robinson said to the crowd of attendees gathered at the Burnsville Town Square, next to the Yancey County Courthouse.

"We're called The Right because we are right, folks. We're right about everything."

Throughout his term as lieutenant governor, Robinson has made headlines for what rival Democrats feel to be are extreme viewpoints, citing Facebook posts dating back as far as 2014.

Donald Trump endorsed Robinson in March 2023.

Although Robinson did not touch the topic of abortion at the rally, his views have shifted over the years.

In the beginning of Robinson's political career, his stance on abortion was stricter, supporting a 6-week abortion ban, with exceptions for rape, incest and safety of the mother. During his election for lieutenant governor, he said there should be no compromise for abortions.

In recent weeks, Robinson has made headlines again after speaking with a woman following a Sept. 3 rally in Troy, North Carolina and telling her he'd like to implement a policy of "zero-week" abortions.

"You better know it. I would love to get down to six weeks. And I’d like to get down to zero. I would like to push it back as far as we could and eliminate as many abortions as we can," Robinson said, according to NBC News.

Robinson has also made headlines in education, as he has advocated for universal school choice, and increased Opportunity Scholarship funding, which are state-funded vouchers to families for a private school education.

Earlier this month, the North Carolina Senate passed a bill on Monday that will grant hundreds of millions of dollars in additional funding for private school vouchers across the state. Last year, the state General Assembly eliminated income caps on the vouchers, allowing all families to be eligible for funding and apply to send their child to private schools.

Critics of school choice, including current Gov. Roy Cooper, argue that eliminating the income caps on the school voucher program could be disastrous for public school funding.

“Based on an analysis by the Office of State Management and Budget, our public schools could lose $200 million in state funding in just the first year of voucher expansion,” Cooper said at the state board of education meeting in March. “That's wrong.”

Cooper said he would advocate for a moratorium on private school vouchers “until we fully fund our public schools.”

"(Democrats) want our children indoctrinated in schools. They want parents to not have the right to raise their children," Robinson said. "There's one party that believes in giving parents the right to choose their children's educational destiny and set a chart for their life, and that party is the Republican Party, folks."

Hearing from attendees

John Anglin organized the event. Anglin said the increase in home prices is one of the most important issues in his view.

"That's the part that we've got to work on collectively, period," said Anglin, who is half-Native American, as his mother, from Oklahoma, is of the Muscogee Nation.

"We can't help justice-involved citizens break the cycle of recidivism if there's no transitional housing."

Anglin serves as chair of the Reentry Council for Freedom Life, a Christian-based organization serving Avery, McDowell and Yancey County justice-involved individuals and their families with programs designed to help its clients begin a journey to a new life, according to its website.

Still, Anglin, who works as a contractor, said while the campaign appearances may be "fun," the real work begins once a candidate is elected.

"Campaigns are great," he said. "The work's what matters. For me, I'm a Republican, but more than that, I believe in this community, and I still believe in this nation."

John Bratz, 42, of Marshall, was part of the "Trump Train" of Madison County residents who made the trek to Burnsville to see Robinson.

"I take voting for a candidate to represent me very seriously," Bratz told The Citizen Times.

"These days it is very uncommon to find a political candidate that is willing to take the time to travel in order to talk and meet with the people they would be representing, let alone the smaller rural areas. Anyone can read about or see ads on TV about candidates, but I felt that in a small, low-key setting, it would be a good opportunity for me to get a more personal feeling for him as a person instead of just another candidate on TV."

Bob Schoon, 69, owns a home in Burnsville and has lived at least part-time in Yancey County for more than 45 years. He also lives in Florida, his primary residence.

As such, he is not eligible to vote in North Carolina. But he said he wanted to see Robinson speak because he felt the media had painted him in an unfair light.

"I'm very conservative," Schoon said. "I have followed him for some time, even though I can't vote here, because he was real pro-guns. That was important to me. Then, when I heard he was coming here, I was really interested to see.

Anglin welcomed Madison County and Yancey County officials, including Madison County Board of Commissioners Chair Matt Wechtel and Vice Chair Michael Garrison who also addressed the crowd before Robinson's appearance about the importance of voting Republican, as well as the collaboration between Madison and Yancey counties.

Garrison thanked the "Trump Train" of Madison County supporters who made the trek from Madison to Burnsville in Yancey. The Madison County Board of Commissioners vice chair also stressed the importance of voting for Republican judges, referencing his time as the Mars Hill police chief.

A number of Yancey County officials, including Yancey County Board of Commissioners Chair Jeff Whitson and Commissioner Mark Ledford, as well as Yancey County Board of Education Vice Chair Will Hensley also spoke.

"We're all just spinning our wheels if we don't get a Republican governor and a Republican attorney general," Wechtel said. "It doesn't matter what our senators do and our house reps do, if the governor and the attorney general veto the laws or choose not to enforce the laws after they're passed, it causes a problem."

More: Lt. Gov. Robinson stumps in Asheville for Trump; says he's victim of 'gov't weaponization'

More: Where do the NC governor candidates Mark Robinson, Josh Stein stand on immigration?

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Republican gov candidate Mark Robinson holds rally in Burnsville NC