North Carolina Lieutenant Governor Mark Robinson is not shy about facing backlash. But in the wake of a shocking CNN report that exposed a history of racism and misogyny in porn forums, his gubernatorial campaign is in tatters.
In a statement released Sunday afternoon, Robinson's campaign announced that four of its top staffers — campaign manager Chris Rodriguez, deputy campaign manager Jason Rezke, finance director Heather Wheeler, and senior adviser Conrad Pogorzelski III — would step down from their positions.
“I wish them well in their future endeavours. I look forward to announcing new roles for staff.”
“In the coming days, my campaign will continue to focus on
“The core issues at stake in this election.”
The wave of resignations comes after a bombshell CNN report revealed Robinson’s active involvement with a billboard for the pornographic website New Africa. In his digital musings — which took place between 2008 and 2012 — Robinson referred to himself as a “black Nazi,” described Martin Luther King Jr. as “worse than a caterpillar,” and declared his belief that “slavery isn’t so bad. Some people need to be slaves. I wish they’d bring it back. I’d definitely buy some.”
In addition to the cold racism, Robinson—who has been a politician and candidate and has offended members of the LGBT community—wrote that he loves “watching hot girls in porn! It’s so hot! It pulls a man out while leaving him in!” In another post, Robinson bragged about spying on women in locker rooms as a teenager.
Robinson has denied the authenticity of the posts and has insisted he will not abandon his campaign, which was heavily promoted by former President Donald Trump. Trump has referred to Robinson as “Martin Luther King on steroids” and praised the lieutenant governor as part of his effort to win North Carolina.
But while the posts were apparently enough to spur his campaign to run, national Republican figures are refusing to disavow the lieutenant governor. On Saturday, vice presidential candidate J.D. Vance told NBC News that while he didn’t believe Robinson’s denial, he wouldn’t call for him to drop out of the race. “You have to let these things play out sometimes in the court of public opinion,” Vance said.
During a rally in Wilmington, North Carolina, on Sunday, Trump broke with his previous praise of Robinson during public appearances in the state — where he praised a host of Republican candidates, but left his chosen candidate for governor out of the mix.
