Staffers resign from Mark Robinson's campaign for North Carolina governor amid scandal
Multiple staffers on North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson's gubernatorial campaign have stepped down after a CNN report embroiled the Republican governor nominee in a scandal.
Robinson was the focus of a CNN investigation published Thursday that detailed inflammatory comments he reportedly made on a pornography website message board more than a decade ago. The reported comments were salacious, as he called himself a "black NAZI," a "perv" and condoned slavery. Robinson denied writing the comments in an interview with CNN.
On Sunday, the campaign announced that top adviser Conrad Pogorzelski, campaign manager Chris Rodriguez, finance director Heather Whillier and deputy campaign manager Jason Rizk have stepped down.
Their departure, along with others, leaves the campaign with a small staff consisting of just two spokespeople and a bodyguard, North Carolina public radio station WUNC reported.
"I appreciate the efforts of these team members who have made the difficult choice to step away from the campaign, and I wish them well in their future endeavors. I look forward to announcing new staff roles in the coming days," Robinson said in a statement shared with USA TODAY.
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Robinson scandal bleeds into 2024 presidential campaign
The deadline for Robinson to be taken off the ballot has passed, and he insists he is poised to win, despite polls showing he trailed Democratic opponent Josh Stein before the CNN investigation.
On Friday, Democrats launched ads that highlighted Trump's ties to Robinson. Trump has endorsed the candidate in the past.
Since the scandal broke, Trump has dodged questions about Robinson, saying in a statement that the campaign is focused on winning the state. It left Robinson entirely out of the programming at a campaign rally over the weekend.
North Carolina is a key battleground state in the 2024 election. A Democrat hasn't won the state since 2008, but Trump beat Joe Biden just 50.1%-48.7% in 2020. Though presidential races can typically mobilize voters to sway down-ballot races, some have wondered whether the Robinson scandal could hurt Trump's chances in the state.
Contributing: David Jackson
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Staffers quit Mark Robinson's campaign for NC governor amid scandal