CNN —
North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson is “currently being treated for burns following an incident at a campaign event in Mount Airy. He is doing well,” said Mike Lonergan, director of communications for the Robinson gubernatorial campaign. told CNN on Friday night.
NewsNation first reported his hospitalization, but a source close to his campaign confirmed it to CNN Friday night.
Mr. Robinson is the Republican candidate for governor of the state. He made several campaign stops around the state on Friday, according to his previously provided schedule and social media posts. The final stop on his schedule Friday was the Mayberry Truck Show and Parade in Mount Airy.
Robinson’s hospitalization comes amid the continuing fallout from a CNN report about the lieutenant governor’s past inflammatory comments on message boards on pornographic websites.
Many prominent Republicans have since tried to distance themselves from Robinson, including former President Donald Trump, who recently campaigned in North Carolina and previously endorsed Robinson. However, he did not mention Mr. Robinson.
Several members of Mr. Robinson’s campaign have resigned, and top staffers are expected to resign, and national Republican groups have also withdrawn financial support for Mr. Robinson.
As the embattled candidate continues his campaign, the latest CNN poll shows Robinson is pulling away in the race. The poll, released Friday and conducted by SSRS after CNN KFile’s press release, showed Democrat Josh Stein leading Robinson among likely voters, 53% to 36%.
This story has been updated with additional reporting.
CNN’s Kaanita Iyer contributed to this report.
