By The Opinion
Sep 21, 2024, 7:00 PM EDT
Donald Trump campaigned in North Carolina on Saturday, but his Republican ally, Gubernatorial candidate Mark Robinsonwas not in sight.
The state’s Republican gubernatorial candidate, Mark Robinson, whom Trump has repeatedly compared to Martin Luther King Jr., refused to drop out of the race by Thursday’s deadline, ignoring calls to do so from the NAACP, North Carolina newspaper editorial boards and some congressional Republicans.
That pressure followed a CNN report detailing his history of inflammatory comments on a pornographic website’s message board. Robinson, the current lieutenant governor of North Carolina, referred to himself as a “black nazi”he expressed his support for the reinstatement of slavery, made repeated graphic sexual comments and more.
Robinson has denied the allegations and said he will remain in the race for governor.
North Carolina is crucial to the hopes of both Republican presidential candidate Trump and his 2024 opponent, Democrat Kamala Harris.
Polls show the race in the state is closeand some Republicans fear the scandal surrounding Robinson could hurt Trump’s chances.
Robinson has generated several controversies in the past for controversial statements and has the strong support of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, who dubbed him “Martin Luther King on steroids” because of his skin color and weight.
North Carolina is one of the closest statewide elections, and Robinson will face Democrat Josh Stein, the state’s current attorney general.
At the rally in Wilmington, North Carolina, Trump suggested he would decline to debate Harris a second time after she accepted CNN’s invitation to participate in a showdown on Oct. 23.
Robinson may not have been at Saturday’s rally, but Democrats worked to make sure they wouldn’t forget.
Before Trump’s visit, The Democratic National Committee launched new ads in the cities of Raleigh, Charlotte and Greensboro that Trump is linked to Robinson.
The billboard ads feature a photo of the two men together, along with quotes from Trump who had previously called Robinson an “exceptional person” and an “incredible gentleman.” “Trump on Mark Robinson: ‘We have to appreciate Mark,’” the billboards read.
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