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Democrats see opening for Harris in North Carolina with Mark Robinson fallout

Posted on by angelo
Democrats see opening for Harris in North Carolina with Mark Robinson fallout

Democrats quickly sought to draw a connection between former President Donald Trump and North Carolina Republican gubernatorial candidate Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson after comments he allegedly made on a porn website forum a decade ago surfaced Thursday.

The CNN report details allegations that Robinson called himself a “black Nazi” in 2010 on “Nude Africa,” a pornographic website that includes a chat room. Robinson was also alleged to have called Martin Luther King Jr. a “Martin Lucifer K**n” and supported the restoration of slavery, along with other sexually explicit comments.

Robinson denied the messages came from him and said in a video statement released before the report was released that he was remaining in the race despite growing speculation he might drop out.

Robinson speaks at a campaign event in Greensboro, N.C., Tuesday, March 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)

Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign posted a compilation of Trump praising Robinson on social media immediately after the report was released, including a clip in which Trump called Robinson “better” than King.

Additionally, Harris spokesman Ammar Moussa posted a photo of Trump with Robinson accompanied by the words, “Just a photo of Donald Trump and Mark Robinson – for no particular reason.”

Shortly after the report was released, David Plouffe, a senior adviser to Harris’ campaign who also managed former President Barack Obama’s first presidential bid, posted on X, “16 Key Electoral Votes,” hinting at a Harris victory in the swing state.

Following the new report, Larry Sabato’s crystal ball at the University of Virginia Center for Politics has upgraded the North Carolina gubernatorial race from “leaning Democratic” to “leaning Democratic likely.”

Some political pundits, however, have tried to temper expectations that the scandal could have repercussions for the North Carolina presidential race. Prognosticator Nate Silver wrote on X: “It’s probably a stretch to expect ‘reverse fads.’ But you also have to imagine Harris running a series of Trump-endorsing Mark Robinson ads.”

Several North Carolina lawmakers reacted to the news as they left Capitol Hill for the week.

“I don’t have the facts yet. The allegations are disturbing, but we don’t have the facts,” Sen. Ted Budd (R-NC) said in response to a question about whether Robinson should drop out of the race.

“This is not good,” Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-NC) said in response to the report, according to the The Huffington Post.

Rep. Deborah Ross (D-NC) said Robinson was “unfit to lead” the state even before the news broke.

“Every week we learn more about Mark Robinson’s racist, sexist, anti-Semitic and homophobic beliefs,” Ross said in a post on X. “He was not fit to be governor before this story, and it is even clearer today that he is not fit to lead our state.”

CNN’s language about Robinson could pose new challenges for Trump as he speaks on the campaign trail Thursday, which will focus on “fighting anti-Semitism in America.” The former president will travel to North Carolina on Saturday, where he will speak about inflation at a rally in Wilmington. Trump has invited Robinson to campaign events in the state in the past.

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While some have called on Robinson to drop out of the race, ballots are set to begin going out to military and overseas voters on Friday. Robinson has insisted he will stay put.

“You know my words. You know my character. And you know that I have been completely transparent in this race and before,” Robinson said in a video message, comparing himself to Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. “My friends, in this race, right now, our opponents are desperate to divert attention from the substantive issues … to salacious tabloid stories.”

Christian Datoc and Ramsey Touchberry contributed to this report.