Republican gubernatorial candidate Mark Robinson has vowed to remain in the race for North Carolina governor despite a report alleging he made controversial comments on a porn website over a decade ago.
Robinson dismissed the CNN report, which claimed he referred to himself as a “black Nazi” on an adult forum, as “salacious tabloid lies.”
According to anonymous sources cited by the Carolina Journal, Robinson has faced pressure from state Republicans and members of Donald Trump’s campaign to withdraw from the race.
Kamala Harris, the Democratic vice president, is working to flip this pivotal swing state from Trump, who won it in the 2020 presidential election.
Robinson, 56, who became North Carolina’s first Black lieutenant governor in 2020, secured the Republican gubernatorial nomination in March after earning an endorsement from Trump, who praised him as “Martin Luther King on steroids.”
CNN reported on Thursday that from 2008 to 2012, Robinson frequented a porn website called Nude Africa under the username “minisoldr” and made posts about watching “tranny” porn, even writing, “Yeah I’m a ‘perv’ too!” The BBC has not verified these claims.
Robinson has previously come under fire for controversial statements, including a 2021 remark that children should not be taught about “transgenderism, homosexuality, any of that filth” in schools.
In a video posted to X (formerly Twitter) on Thursday, Robinson denied the allegations. “Let me reassure you, the things you will see in that story, those are not the words of Mark Robinson,” he said, vowing to continue his campaign. He further claimed to be a victim of a “high-tech lynching” by his Democratic opponent, Josh Stein.
Stein’s campaign responded, saying, “North Carolinians already know Mark Robinson is completely unfit to be governor.” Opinion polls suggest Stein, the state’s attorney general, holds a strong lead in the race.
Despite the controversy, the North Carolina Republican Party issued a statement defending Robinson, accusing “the Left” of launching personal attacks.
The Harris campaign has highlighted Trump’s previous support for Robinson, posting reminders on social media.
The deadline for withdrawing from the gubernatorial race passed Thursday, as early voting in North Carolina begins soon. Recent polling shows Harris and Trump in a tight contest in this key battleground state, where Trump narrowly defeated Joe Biden in 2020. Democrats are now making a strong push to win North Carolina in the upcoming election.