North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein triumphed over scandal-ridden Republican Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson in the state’s gubernatorial election, securing the position for Democrats.
Stein, a clear frontrunner to succeed term-limited Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper, benefited from Robinson’s controversial history of inflammatory remarks.
In September, Robinson had made disturbing comments over a decade ago on a porn website, where he referred to himself as a “black NAZI,” endorsed the idea of reinstating slavery, and shared explicit stories, including one about spying on women in gym showers at the age of 14.
Robinson denied writing the comments, but the fallout was swift, with several key staffers resigning from his campaign and the Republican Governors Association withdrawing support for him. Although former President Donald Trump did not retract his endorsement, he distanced himself from Robinson during the campaign.
Democrats capitalized on Robinson’s controversial past remarks, portraying him as extreme on abortion, education, and LGBTQ+ issues. After conceding defeat, Robinson acknowledged the media scrutiny of his past comments, emphasizing that the campaign was about those who supported him, not the “lies” or “half-truths.” He expressed pride in running a decent campaign, stating, “Victory is pleasing God, and sometimes in order to please God, you have to lose.”
Stein’s campaign ran ads highlighting Robinson’s 2018 comments on abortion, where he labeled it “murder” and “genocide.”
Robinson’s 2019 Facebook comments about abortion being “not about protecting mothers” but “killing the child” also became focal points for Democrats. Additionally, Robinson’s 2023 remarks about public school teachers being “wicked” and advising parents against sending their children to public schools were also used by Democrats to target his candidacy.
