- Robinson was first elected lieutenant governor in 2020 and was a staunch supporter of former President Trump
- He was criticized for offensive comments and messages about Jews, Muslims, women and members of the LGBTQ community
- Trump endorsed Robinson at a rally in Greensboro ahead of the primaries
- He will meet with Democratic Attorney General Josh Stein in November
North Carolina Lieutenant Governor Mark Robinson has won the Republican nomination for governor in what is expected to be one of the most competitive gubernatorial races in the country in November.
He defeated state Treasurer Dale Folwell and trial attorney Bill Graham for the nomination.
North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein won the Democratic nomination for governor and will face Robinson in November.
If elected, both candidates would create history in the state. Robinson would be North Carolina’s first black governor, while Stein would be the state’s first Jewish governor.
Former President Donald Trump endorsed Robinson at a rally in Greensboro on Saturday, calling Robinson “Martin Luther King on steroids.”
But the right-wing conservative firebrand has been a polarizing figure who has come under fire for his past comments about women, Jews, Muslims and members of the LGBTQ community and for his posts on baseless conspiracy theories.
Before Robinson ran for lieutenant governor in 2020, he regularly posted anti-Semitic messages on Facebook. In one, he declared that the Black Panther movie was “made by an agnostic Jew and put on film by satanic Marxists.”
Other posts included Holocaust denial. In one he wrote ‘this folly about disarming MILLIONS of Jews and then marching them into concentration camps is a load of nonsense.’
After the Hamas attack on October 7, Robinson said he supported Israel and denied ever being anti-Semitic.
Lt. Governor Robinson speaks for Trump at his rally in Greensboro on Saturday
Trump endorsed Robinson for governor of NC on Saturday during a rally in Greensboro. He called the Republican who faced backlash after offensive comments “Martin Luther King on steroids”
North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein won the Democratic nomination for governor and will face Robinson in November in what is expected to be a highly competitive gubernatorial race
Robinson has also been convicted for his attacks on the LGBTQ community. After the Pulse Nightclub shooting in Florida in 2016, he wrote that homosexuality is “STILL a heinous sin” and that he would “NOT join in the celebration of gay pride.” The shooting killed 49 people and injured more than 50 others.
He also suggested that Ellen DeGeneres, who is openly gay, was a “top-level demon.”
In messages following the 2018 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, Robinson called the survivors “spoiled, angry, know-it-all CHILDREN” and “media prosti-tots,” according to a CNN report.
During the 2020 race for lieutenant governor, it was reported that Robinson once described former President Obama as a “worthless, anti-American atheist” and posted birther memes.
He called Michelle Obama a man, Joy Behar a “she beast” and Congresswoman Maxine Waters an “ol maxie toad.”
Robinson also posted on Facebook that Muslims are “not ‘immigrants’, they are INVADERS” and claimed they are “refusing to assimilate” while “demanding respect they have not earned.”
Abortion is expected to be a top issue in the state, and it’s an issue Robinson is trying to avoid. According to a Rolling Stone report last summer, Robinson told a crowd that he doesn’t like saying the “A word” but instead likes to use the word “life.”
Rolling Stone reported that Robinson now avoids using the word “abortion” while campaigning for governor, preferring to use the word “life” instead. In the past, Robinson has said he would like an abortion ban without exceptions, but he has since backed away from that position
But in a radio interview earlier last year, Robinson said that if he had the power and a willing Legislature, they would “pass a bill that says you can’t have an abortion for any reason in North Carolina.”
His campaign told CNN that Robinson publicly supports legislation that would restrict abortion after a heartbeat is detected, with protections in situations such as rape, incest or when the mother’s life is in danger.
Robinson got his political launch in 2018 after a speech he gave at a Greensboro City Council meeting about gun rights went viral. The following year, he launched his bid for lieutenant governor and won in 2020.
Trump not only called Robinson MLK “on steroids,” but also said “I think you’re better than Martin Luther King. I think you are Martin Luther King times two.”
But Robinson has attacked the civil rights leader, saying in a 2018 podcast that he was a “communist.” He also denounced the Civil Rights Movement as a communist plot to “undermine capitalism.”
North Carolina is a swing state that voted for President Donald Trump in 2020, but also for term-limited Democratic Governor Roy Cooper, who will leave office in January.