By any available metric, Republican Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson it was already lost North Carolina gubernatorial race. The question was less whether he would fail and more about the margin of his impending defeat.
Ma the latest revelations about the extremist candidate have generated a a completely different set of questions – as if Robinson’s campaign can continue.
That’s what tends to happen when CNN appears discover the evidence of a gubernatorial candidate who posted on the bulletin board of a pornographic website, who described himself as a “black NAZI,” who he doesn’t think slavery was necessarily a “bad” thing.and who likes transgender pornography. (Robinson denied the accuracy of the report).
The day after the CNN report reached the public, the campaign of Vice President Kamala Harris took advantage of the opportunity. U The New York Times reported: :
The Harris campaign has released a new television ad in North Carolina that seeks to link former President Donald J. Trump to Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, who is facing pressure to drop out of the governor’s race after CNN reported on the offensive posts that he says. made on an online forum for adults. The ad juxtapons footage of Trump paying tribute to Robinson alongside the lieutenant governor condemning women who have abortions for not being “responsible enough to keep your skirt up.” The ad’s narrator concludes: “Donald Trump and Mark Robinson: They’re both wrong for North Carolina.”
It’s an announcement that North Carolinians should probably expect to see quite a bit in the coming days.
Plus, it’s not just Team Harris. Less than a day after the right-wing candidate faced another round of brutal headlines, the Democratic National Committee. also unveiled new ads — including billboards — linking Robinson to Trump.
The point, like an NBC News report explained, it’s not subtle: Democrats don’t just want to remind North Carolina voters of Robinson’s scandals, they also want to tie the former president to Robinson’s sinking ship. There are different paths to the White House this year, but almost everyone can agree that if the Republican ticket fails in the Tar Heel State, Donald Trump will not return to power next year.
As well JD Vance conceded on NBC’s “Meet the Press” last weekend, “It’s very difficult for us to win unless we can get North Carolina.”
That’s among the reasons why Democrats were so happy to see Robinson’s latest scandal: The more North Carolinians who came out to support state Attorney General Josh Stein’s gubernatorial campaign this year, the better. Harris’ chances of winning the state as well.
At least, that’s the theory. Recent history tells us that North Carolinians have been willing to split their vote, voting for a gubernatorial candidate from one party, while supporting a presidential candidate from the other party, at the same time. It happened in 2016 and 2020for example, and it could certainly happen again in 2024.
But as Robinson agitates, it’s not surprising that Democrats want to take full advantage of the opportunity.
This article was originally published in MSNBC.com