Several of Mark Robinson’s campaign staff have resigned following controversy over online posts

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Several top staffers for North Carolina Republican Lieutenant Governor Mark Robinson’s gubernatorial campaign have left their posts, heralding another round of negative developments. CNN report He provides evidence that he made disturbing posts on a porn site’s message board more than 10 years ago.

The campaign said in a news release Sunday that senior adviser Conrad Pogorzelski III, campaign manager Chris Rodriguez, the campaign’s finance director and an assistant campaign manager “have stepped down from their roles with the campaign.” The announcement said information about new campaign staff would be released soon.

“I commend the efforts of these team members who have decided to leave the campaign and wish them success in their future endeavors,” Robinson said in a statement.

Pogorzelski, who helped Robinson become lieutenant governor in his first elected role in 2020 and later became his chief of staff, said in a separate statement Sunday that additional staff, including the deputy chief financial officer, two political directors and the director of operations, have also left the campaign.

“We left voluntarily, along with the other names in the campaign,” Pogorzelski said in a message.

CNN’s report Thursday revealed posts made by Robinson on message boards on a porn site more than a decade ago in which he referred to himself as a “black NAZI,” said in 2012 that he liked Hitler more than then-President Barack Obama, called the late Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. “worse than a maggot” and said he enjoyed transgender pornography.

Robinson denied writing the posts and said Thursday that he would not be forced out of the race because of “lascivious tabloid lies.” He avoided directly discussing the controversy at a gubernatorial campaign event held at a racetrack in Fayetteville on Saturday evening. The event was held earlier in the day by former President Donald Trump At a rally 90 miles away in Wilmington, Robinson was not mentioned.

Before Saturday, Robinson was a frequent presence at Trump’s North Carolina campaign stops. The Republican presidential candidate has long praised Robinson — if elected, he would be North Carolina’s first black governor — calling him “Martin Luther King on steroids” for his speaking style.

On Sunday, Robinson expressed optimism that he could still beat Democratic nominee Josh Stein, the incumbent attorney general, in November. Polls show Robinson trailing Stein.

But Robinson said polls have “underestimated Republican support in North Carolina for several election cycles” and that a large portion of voters are undecided. “I’m confident our campaign will continue to be in a strong position to make our case to voters and win on November 5th.”

Robinson has a long history of making inflammatory comments, such as implying that women who have abortions are “not responsible enough to keep their skirts down” and likening abortion to slavery.

Stein said Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union” that Robinson “is completely unqualified, completely unfit to be governor of North Carolina, and we will do everything we can to prevent that from happening.”

Polls show Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris in a close race in North Carolina and nationally. Democrats have seized the opportunity to highlight Trump’s ties to Robinson, with billboards showing the two together and a new ad from Harris’ campaign highlighting the Republican candidates’ ties and Robinson’s support for a statewide abortion ban without exceptions.

On Sunday, Republican U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina said on NBC’s “Meet the Press” that Robinson should have a chance to defend himself against the allegations. Graham called the allegations “frustrating.” Graham said Robinson would be “a political zombie if he doesn’t present a credible defense on this issue,” but argued that the issue would not hurt Trump.

“If true, he is unfit to serve in that office,” Graham said of Robinson and the allegations in the CNN report. “If not true, he has the best libel case in the history of our country.”

__

Associated Press writer Jonathan Mattise in Nashville, Tennessee, contributed to this report.