The Republican Party has been churning out some candidates whose qualifications are questionable, and North Carolina’s gubernatorial candidate, Mark Robinson, is no exception.
Seated as North Carolina’s lieutenant governor since 2020, Robinson gained traction as a political figure after leaving his job in furniture manufacturing to focus on public speaking engagements. He started his political career with a viral defense of the Second Amendment to the Greensboro City Council, which received over 200 million views online following the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in February 2018. At the time, his main appeal was to the National Rifle Association and other conservative groups before embarking on his campaign for lieutenant governor.
Robinson has a history of controversial statements, starting with advocating for a complete abortion ban despite paying for his then-girlfriend (and now-wife) to have an abortion in the 1980s. He’s since expressed his remorse, stating that “killing the child because you weren’t responsible enough to keep your skirt down” is inexcusable. Later, he used the word “filth” to refer to gay and transgender people, despite having previously admitted to enjoying transgender pornography and describing graphic fantasies under the alias “minisoldr” online. He now repeatedly denies these comments.
On top of being an unreliable candidate who frequently misses senate sessions and other board meetings, how and why is Robinson’s blatant hypocrisy considered acceptable in a political candidate for the GOP? North Carolina has historically chosen moderate Democrats over hard-line conservatives for governor. Many North Carolinians are rightfully frustrated that Robinson is one of their choices.
Aside from his anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric and pushes to expand gun ownership rights, what are his policy initiatives, exactly? Robinson advocates for denying climate change, hopes to expand charter schools and school voucher programs, and has repeatedly used his Facebook page to attack immigrants. When asked about the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian Conflict, Robinson stated that he supported Israel, saying, “I’ve never been antisemitic,” despite previously downplaying and denying the Holocaust.
In the face of negative national attention and poor polling in a recent CNN report, Robinson refused to withdraw from the governor’s race and has continued to champion the implementation of restorative measures for the economy. He stated he plans to work with Trump to integrate Christian values into the North Carolinian government while advocating for students who are “educated, NOT indoctrinated” on his X platform.
Robinson calls to mind the unpredictable behavior of Republican politicians; historically, many have resorted to using their campaign platforms as grounds for a liberal witch hunt as opposed to sharing what they plan to do while in office. Robinson is not an outlier to this. He has personally attacked his opponent, the state’s attorney general Josh Stein, and Vice President Harris in many campaign tweets, recently making unsubstantiated claims that she believes that illegal immigration is not a crime.
While former President Trump has publicly endorsed Robinson in the past, comparing him to Martin Luther King Jr. “on steroids” during one of his rallies, he’s recently maintained his distance as Robinson’s budgets crash, his staffers ditch him, and he faces ugly allegations about his decade-old online activity. However, Robinson’s ties to the Trump campaign are still strong, as North Carolina is crucial to Trump’s path to victory in the 2024 presidential election.
A convicted felon endorsing a self-proclaimed Nazi? It’s nothing more than a typical day in contemporary American politics. Republicans are nervous, and rightfully so.
The opinions expressed within this piece represent the views of the author alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Jefferson Independent.
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