CNN —
Republicans campaigning in North Carolina and across the country are distancing themselves from Mark Robinson, removing photos of themselves next to the embattled GOP gubernatorial candidate and removing any mention of their support for him from their campaign materials.
Robinson has become a politically poisonous figure since CNN reported more than a decade ago that he had posted dozens of inflammatory comments on a pornography message board in which he called himself a “black Nazi,” voiced support for slavery and made other obscene and sexually explicit remarks.
At least 10 Republicans and conservative groups have canceled events with Robinson or erased their digital footprints to distance themselves from him, with whom they will vote in November.
Laurie Buckhout, a U.S. House candidate in a hotly contested race in North Carolina’s 1st Congressional District, At least 9 photos According to screenshots and a Google cache of his tweets, Buckhout posted a photo of himself with Robinson on X. He also deleted a post in which he called Robinson “the next governor of North Carolina.” Buckhout appears to have deleted five tweets in total.
Other candidates appear to have removed photos of themselves alongside Robinson from their Facebook pages, according to screenshots of their current web pages, though some of Robinson’s photos and posts remain on their social media accounts.
Dave Boreek, a Republican running for North Carolina state auditor, appears to have removed a Facebook post featuring Robinson in August 2024. State Senator Lisa Stone Barnes, who is running for reelection, appears to have removed at least one photo of herself with Robinson from her Facebook account that she posted in January 2021. However, other photos of her with Robinson remain on her social media accounts.
State Rep. Bill Ward, who is running for re-election, appears to have edited a post to remove a photo of himself with Robinson from July, but a photo of Robinson at the event remains in the post.
Stacey McGinn, who is running for state senator representing part of Mecklenburg County, deleted a post praising Robinson for his tribute to slain police officers. “Leave it to Mark Robinson to speak so eloquently about what we are all feeling,” she wrote in support of police, according to screenshots. While the post appears to have been removed, photos from events Robinson has been involved with in the past remain online.
And state Rep. Allen Chesser, who is running for re-election, has removed his endorsement of Robinson from his website since it was last archived in July, according to the Wayback Machine.
All but one of the candidates, who removed posts featuring Robinson, did not respond to CNN’s requests for comment, including whether they still support him.
“The comments that have come to light are reprehensible. Mark Robinson says he did not make these comments, but it is up to him to prove that to the voters of North Carolina. I am focused on the voters of State Senate District 42 in South Mecklenburg County and our election,” McGinn said in a statement to CNN.
Hal Weatherman, a Republican candidate for lieutenant governor in the state, posted on X that Robinson “must conclusively and quickly prove that the allegations against him are false. … His entire campaign strategy should be focused on proving that the allegations are false. During this process, I and the other Republican candidates need to focus on winning our elections.”
Some of North Carolina’s most prominent Republicans in Washington have spoken out against Robinson.
“I think the clock is ticking,” Sen. Thom Tillis told CNN’s Manu Raju. “I think Robinson needs to make a decision quickly and defend his reputation, or if he can’t, we need to move on.”
Tillis endorsed Robinson’s opponent in the March gubernatorial primary and has indicated he will not vote for Robinson in the general election.
“If Mr. Robinson doesn’t present arguments that give some credibility to his rebuttal, I think most of us should move on rather than be concerned with this election. We should move on this week,” Tillis said.
North Carolina Rep. Ted Budd, who endorsed Robinson for governor last year, told CNN he plans to vote for Robinson but said the CNN report was “deeply disturbing.”
“I haven’t followed that closely,” North Carolina Rep. Virginia Foxx told Punchbowl News when asked about Robinson and the CNN report. Foxx has posted numerous photos with positive comments praising Robinson, according to her public Facebook page. Foxx did not respond to CNN’s inquiry about Robinson’s comments.
Outside of North Carolina, the Republican National Committee and conservative activist and advocacy groups have distanced themselves from Robinson. In neighboring Georgia, Gov. Brian Kemp withdrew his endorsement of Robinson on Monday. Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee, chairman of the Republican Governors Association, also withdrew his endorsement and canceled a planned Republican Governors Association fundraiser in Greensboro, North Carolina. The Republican Governors Association confirmed to CNN that it would not be investing any more money in the gubernatorial race.
Other canceled events featuring Robinson include a now-deleted fundraiser to support the Trump-Vance campaign in Wisconsin on September 29. The updated invitation online reads, “While our previous speaker has canceled, we have some great Trump allies at this event! Stay tuned!”
Robinson was also scheduled to be the main speaker at a fundraiser for the conservative group Dakota First Action in October. The latest promotion for the event does not include Robinson, and the group has not responded to questions about whether he will still speak.
Invitations for a “Get Out to the Vote” rally being held by the Johnston County Republican Party in North Carolina on October 3 have been updated to remove Robinson.
Meanwhile, Robinson’s events page, once filled with events, is now blank.
The NRA is no longer running ads supporting Robinson or against her opponent, Attorney General Josh Stein, according to Facebook’s ad disclosures. Facebook said the ads were stopped over the weekend. The NRA did not respond to CNN’s request for comment.
CNN also reported Monday that Robinson’s digital advertising was suspended over the weekend and has not been resumed since.
