WILKESBORO, N.C. — Lieutenant Governor Mark Robinson returns to the campaign trail Monday to try and put his scandal behind him. He was in Wilkesboro at Vernon's Cake Carousel.
This comes after the accusations of Robinson making racist and sexual comments on an adult site years ago.
That CNN investigation accused Robinson of making comments saying things like "I'm a black NAZI" and "I wish they would bring slavery back. I'd buy a few."
Robinson has denied the claims calling them AI generated.
"This election is not about me and it's certainly not about the trash that the news media wants to talk about," Robinson said. "This election is about you and it's about which candidate is ready to go out and fight like hell to stop your children from dying from fentanyl. It's about willing to stand up for you when the chips are down."
With the scandal already impacting the race, Robinson used to appear at all of former President Donald Trump's rallies in our state. Trump even called Robinson 'better than MLK'.
But the Lt. Governor was absent from Trump's Wilmington appearance this weekend and missed a rally with Senator JD Vance last week.
As Robinson tried to distance himself from the report, a new report from his campaign announced that four senior staffers stepped down over the weekend. It includes the campaign's general consultant and senior advisor, the campaign manager, the finance director, and the deputy campaign manager.
"We have full confidence that we can go on. We're getting resumes from all over. We're getting offers from all over," Robinson said. "People are jumping in to help us. We've made a ton of friends in this thing since we've been here, a lot of talented people right now are reaching out to us and we're right in the process right now of forming a team that we know to lead us to victory."
Some voters at those rallies told CBS News they are still supporting Robinson.
The Republican Governors Association — anticipated to keep running ads to boost Robinson’s bid into the fall and oppose Democratic rival Josh Stein — will no longer support Robinson, association Chair and Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee said Monday.
“Our current media buy in North Carolina expires tomorrow, and no further placements have been made,” association spokesperson Courtney Alexander said in a prepared statement. “RGA remains committed to electing Republican Governors all across the country.”
On the other side, The Harris Campaign has already started an ad across our state highlighting the tie between Trump and Robinson. Democratic candidate Josh Stein has called Robinson unfit to lead.
Robinson had a lot more to say about his vision for North Carolina. You can see his full, unedited remarks on WFMY+ -- free on Roku and Fire TV.
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