GREENSBORO, N.C. — Many questions have emerged in the days since a CNN report linked Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson (R-NC) to graphic comments on an adult film website more than a decade ago. The report accused Robinson of saying things like 'I'm a Black Nazi' and expressing support for slavery.
When the report came out on Sept. 19, rumors swirled that Robinson faced pressure from people within his party to drop out of the race. Even though the deadline to do so has since passed, some people have claimed he could drop out.
THE QUESTION
Can Lt. Gov. Robinson drop out of the race for the North Carolina governor?
THE SOURCES
- The North Carolina State Board of Elections
- North Carolina law
THE ANSWER
No, Lt. Gov. Robinson cannot drop out of the race at this point.
WHAT WE FOUND
State law says that a party's nominee cannot drop out of a race after absentee ballots start going out. In North Carolina, mail-in ballots for military and overseas voters went out on Sept. 20.
A spokesperson for the State Board of Elections said even if Robinson dropped out, it wouldn't change anything on the ballot.
"Even if a candidate suspended their campaign or said they were 'dropping out,' votes cast for that candidate would go to that candidate," Pat Gannon, Public Information Director for the NCSBE, said in an email.
Gannon said the state has already received some of its absentee ballots back from voters.
In a hypothetical scenario where a candidate said they wanted to drop out past the deadline, they could still win the race since their name would remain on the ballot and get all those votes, according to Gannon.
Under those circumstances, they could then refuse to be sworn in if they still didn't want the job. If that happened, state law says whoever wins the lieutenant governor's race would become the governor-elect.
Keep in mind, Robinson has been adamant since the report came out that he is staying in the race and sees a path to victory on Election Day, which is Nov. 5.
Robinson has also dismissed the report as 'tabloid trash.' On Tuesday, his campaign announced that it was hiring a law firm to investigate the report and uncover what it considers the truth.