RALEIGH, N.C. — Republican North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson will not drop out of the state's gubernatorial race, despite growing pressure.
A spokesman for Robinson's campaign shot down the questions about him dropping out of the race on Thursday.
"It is absolute fiction," Mike Lonergan told WRAL in a text message.
The pressure comes as a new CNN report focused on remarks Robinson allegedly made on a pornographic website's message board. The comments were allegedly made in 2008 and 2012, before he entered politics. Robinson also trails in the polls, with a recent WRAL poll showing Robinson as polling worse than other Republicans in statewide races.
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Robinson posted a video on X, the social media website formerly known as Twitter, getting ahead of the story by saying it was "outrageous lies" from Josh Stein's campaign. He also said he was staying in the race.
"The news media is at it again, my opponent is at it again," Robinson said. "A story leaked by him [Josh Stein] to CNN is appearing now. Let me reassure you the things that you will see in that story, those are not the words of Mark Robinson. You know my words, you know my character and you know I've been completely transparent in this race and before."
Robinson was scheduled to appear at events in Henderson and Norlina on Thursday but both were canceled. Robinson was also scheduled to attend a Raleigh speech by JD Vance on Wednesday but didn't show up, WRAL reported.
Robinson has a long and public history of making incendiary comments about Jews, women, Muslims and other minority groups.
Robinson first showed up in the public sphere in 2019, after his comments at a Greensboro City Council meeting caught significant attention online. He then ran for lieutenant governor and won the following year, before announcing his plans to run for governor in 2023.