(The Center Square) – Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, responding to media reports he has been pressured to withdraw from the North Carolina governor’s race, said Thursday at about 3 p.m. he would remain.
And, he said, Attorney General Josh Stein’s campaign is lying.
Robinson began a social media post identifying himself as “your Republican nominee for governor.”
“The news media is at it again,” he said. “My opponent is at it again. You all have seen the half-truths and outright lies of Josh Stein on these ads over and over again. And now, a story leaked by him to CNN is appearing now.”
The Carolina Journal, a publication of the conservative-leaning nonprofit John Locke Foundation, without named sources published a story earlier Thursday saying “Robinson is under pressure from staff and members of the Trump campaign to withdraw from the governor’s race due to the nature of the story, which they say involves activity on adult websites in the 2000s.”
Business NC also published a story suggesting he will withdraw. Shortly after 3 p.m. Eastern, there was yet to be a story on CNN. Just before 4 p.m. Eastern, the CNN story did appear under the headline “‘I’m a black NAZI!’: NC GOP nominee for governor made dozens of disturbing comments on porn forum.”
A replaying video is atop the story with comments he made 14 years ago. The story refers to comments he made between 2008 and 2012. CNN said it authenticated its findings based on biographical information of Robinson compared to the poster on multiple websites, and a common email address.
Robinson continued in the 82-second video, “Let me reassure you that the things that you will see in that story – those are not the words of Mark Robinson. You know my words; you know my character and you know that I have been completely transparent in this race and before.
“Folks, this race right now, our opponents are desperate to shift the focus from the substantive issues and focus on what you are concerned with, to salacious tabloid trash. We cannot allow that to happen.”
And he referenced Clarence Thomas, a U.S. Supreme Court justice.
“Folks, we’ve seen this type of stuff in the past, too,” Robinson said. “Clarence Thomas famously once said he was the victim of a high-tech lynching. Well, it looks like Mark Robinson is too by a man who refuses to stand on stage and debate me about the real issues that face you. Instead, they want to focus on salacious tabloid lies. We’re not going to let them do that. We are staying in this race. We are in it to win it. And with your help, we will.”
Robinson and Stein were considered a toss-up race earlier in the calendar year, even into the spring. During the summer and since, polling suggests Stein has begun to create separation.
