- North Carolina Lt. Gov. Robinson has only three staffers left
- It comes after an explosive report claimed the candidate called himself a “pervert.”
North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson has vowed to pursue CNN over its report revealing deeply disturbing comments he allegedly posted on a pornographic forum.
Nearly all of Robinson’s campaign staff resigned in the wake of the shocking report that claimed he called himself a “black Nazi” and a “pervert” on the Nude Africa website.
Robinson now has only two campaign spokesmen and a bodyguard left on his team.
It’s the latest episode in a saga that has plagued the North Carolina gubernatorial race over the past week amid revelations from the publications.
North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson vowed to “call CNN out” after its report last week claimed crude posts on a pornographic forum were from the gubernatorial candidate.
Speaking at a campaign event in Wilkesboro, North Carolina, Robinson, 56, stepped up his efforts to deny the CNN report linking him to the lewd comments.
“We are ready to denounce CNN for what they have done to us. We are going to go after them,” he promised.
Robinson’s campaign announced Sunday the departure of four members of its senior staff: senior adviser Conrad Pogorzelski III; campaign manager Chris Rodriguez; finance director Heather Whillier; and deputy campaign manager Jason Rizk.
But the local people of North Carolina Radio station WUNC confirmed that several other staff members have also left the team.leaving Robinson with only three people working on his effort to get promoted in November and turn the Governor’s mansion red.
There are just 43 days until the election, meaning Robinson has just weeks to fully re-hire an entire team.
Some claimed on social media to be new hires for Robinson’s campaign, but the Republican candidate says staffing announcements are on the way.
Most of Robinson’s office abandoned the candidate after the latest report, and Robinson says new staff roles will be announced soon.
“The rumors circulating on the Internet about new hires for our campaign are just that: rumors. We look forward to announcing additional staff positions soon,” the lieutenant governor wrote in X.
Departures confirmed by WUNC include longtime Director of Operations Patrick Riley and Political Directors John Kontoulas and Jackson Lohrer.
It’s unclear whether the massive feat of rehiring nearly an entire campaign staff will be possible for Robinson amid a highly sensitive scandal, which he vehemently denies.
Robinson is in a race to take over from outgoing Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper in a highly competitive state for the 2024 election.
North Carolina is one of seven key states needed to achieve a presidential victory.
The state voted red in 2016 and 2020, but Democrats hope to flip it blue for Electoral College seat votes there in 2024.
Democrat Josh Stein is seeking to keep the state’s governorship blue, and said Sunday that Donald Trump should be held accountable at the ballot box for backing Robinson and helping him become the Republican nominee for governor.
Announcing the departure of four top officials over the weekend, Robinson said in a statement: “My campaign will continue to focus on the substantive issues at stake in this election: building an economy that grows from Murphy to Manteo; cutting taxes and eliminating unnecessary bureaucracy; getting politics out of our classrooms; and cracking down on violent crime and dangerous drugs.”
“Polls have consistently underestimated Republican support in North Carolina for multiple cycles,” he continued, “and with a large portion of the electorate still undecided as we continue to ramp up our efforts across the state, I am confident our campaign remains in a strong position to make our case to voters and win on November 5.”
