Republicans turn on Mark Robinson amid scandal in North Carolina gubernatorial race over porn site comments

Republicans are increasingly distancing themselves from North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson.

The Republican candidate for governor of the state is embroiled in a scandal and many fear he will jeopardize the other November elections in this key swing state.

The race for Raleigh’s governorship took a new twist last week when CNN reported that Robinson made racist, offensive and lewd comments on the porn forum Nude Africa.

Republicans are removing photos they posted with Robinson, and at least a dozen right-wing individuals and groups have canceled rallies with the candidate.

And the Republican Governors Association (RGA) has stopped running ads for Robinson.

A spokesman for Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s PAC said it “will no longer be supporting (Robinson’s) candidacy” after the governor attended an event for the candidate in August in his capacity as a member of the RGA’s executive committee.

Laurie Buckhout, a candidate for North Carolina’s 1st Congressional District, is among those looking to erase her digital footprint with the controversial politician. She deleted at least nine photos on X that featured her and Robinson in five separate tweets.

“The next governor of North Carolina,” she wrote in one of the X messages.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said Tuesday he was relieved there was no Senate race in the Tar Heel State this cycle, but he had been concerned about Robinson’s potential impact at the ballot box.

“I’m glad there’s no Senate race in North Carolina,” the Kentucky Republican said.

Robinson has rejected calls to withdraw from the race and has strongly denied the CNN report, which alleged that the lieutenant governor had called himself a “black Nazi” and a “pervert” on the pornography website, among other things.

Many North Carolinians are concerned about the GOP’s chances of moving beyond the gubernatorial race now that the allegations against Robinson have come to light.

North Carolina voted for Donald Trump in the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections, but this year the Democrats are likely to win the election.

However, political analysts and election experts are not certain that Robinson’s claims will have any implications for the 2024 presidential election.

Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper is term-limited and will retire at the end of the year. Robinson is running against Democrat Josh Stein.

Republican candidate for North Carolina state auditor Dave Boliek; Sen. Lisa Stone Barnes, who is running for re-election; and Rep. Bill Ward, who is also running for re-election, all appear to have deleted social media posts featuring them with Robinson, according to a CNN review of their accounts.

At least 10 right-wing groups and individuals have canceled events featuring Robinson, and several North Carolina candidates have removed online images featuring the lieutenant governor

Rep. Allen Chesser removed Robinson’s endorsement from his website during his re-election race, and Stacie McGinn, who is running for North Carolina Senate, removed a post praising the gubernatorial candidate for remembering a slain police officer.

A political analyst at the conservative think tank John Locke Foundation denied claims that Robinson’s scandal somehow harmed Trump

“I doubt Mark Robinson’s latest controversy will have much impact on Donald Trump at the top of the ticket,” Mitch Kokai told Newsweek. “The former president won North Carolina’s electoral votes twice, despite all his own electoral baggage.”

Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) said of the report on Wednesday, “If (it’s true), it’s devastating and disqualifying.”

“We have an election that starts in three and a half days, Scaramucci, and we need to put our best candidates forward,” he continued, referring to the short-lived tenure of Anthony Scaramucci, who served as White House communications director under Donald Trump for just ten days.