Several senior staffers involved in Mark Robinson’s campaign to become North Carolina’s next governor have resigned after media reports uncovered compelling evidence that the Republican candidate had previously described himself as a black Nazi, spoken in favor of restoring slavery, and shared other disturbing views on a pornographic messaging forum.
The departures announced Sunday include senior campaign advisers, campaign managers and finance directors.
“I thank my team members for their efforts in making the difficult decision to step away from the campaign and wish them the best in their future endeavors,” Robinson said in a news release.
One of the departing executives, senior adviser Conrad Pogorzelski III, helped Robinson win the election for lieutenant governor of North Carolina in 2020. Pogorzelski later became Robinson’s chief of staff and said he was “leaving of his own accord, along with the rest of the campaign.”
Three days before his resignation, Robinson wrote a pornography forum post expressing a preference for Adolf Hitler over then-President Barack Obama, CNN reported. He also reportedly called the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. “worse than a maggot” and said he would “definitely” buy some slaves if slavery were to be reinstated as he wanted.
Robinson denied posting the tweet and called it a “salacious tabloid lie.” He did not appear with Donald Trump at a campaign rally in North Carolina on Saturday, and avoided the topic at a rally at a race track in Fayetteville later that day.
Robinson has trailed Democratic opponent Josh Stein in the polls, but he said in a statement Sunday that the polls “underestimated Republican support in North Carolina across several districts.”
“I am confident that our campaign remains in a strong position to appeal to and win the election on November 5th,” he added.
Governor Stein appeared on CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday and claimed that Governor Robinson is “totally unfit and unfit to serve as Governor of North Carolina.”
Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina said Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press” that Robinson should have a chance to defend himself against CNN’s reporting, but Graham called Robinson “a political zombie if he won’t provide a credible defense.”
Senior state legislative leaders worry that any association with Robinson could affect their vote in November’s election, but higher up the political ladder, attendees at a Sunday rally in support of Donald Trump seemed unfazed by the former president’s endorsement of Robinson in his bid to return to the White House.
Bob Judson, a 70-year-old independent voter, told The Washington Post that he “doesn’t really believe” the allegations against Robinson. “We’ve all done things in the past that we regret,” Judson said. “Some of it is just crazy.”
Rose Cannon, 69, told the outlet that Robinson was a “very positive and strong man”.
“It’s hard to say at this point,” Cannon said. “I’ll listen carefully and see what I think.”
Trump has not responded to CNN’s allegations about Robinson, but his running mate, J.D. Vance, said, “These matters are sometimes best laid out in the court of public opinion.”
Vance is scheduled to hold a rally in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Monday. Republican presidential candidates are hoping to move on from the Robinson incident. The Ohio senator posted comments on social media on Sunday, blaming Vice President and Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris for the inflation, calling it “my comments on Mark Robinson.”
The Associated Press contributed reporting