North Carolina Democratic Attorney General Josh Stein declined to debate Republican Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson as the Republican faces scrutiny over salacious comments he allegedly posted online.
Stein and Robinson are engaged in a battle to become North Carolina’s next governor this fall. Although Robinson has repeatedly requested to face off against his Democratic rival, Stein publicly refused on Thursday.
“Mark Robinson has spent his entire public life spewing hate, lying about his record, and spreading dangerous and false conspiracy theories,” Stein campaign spokeswoman Kate Frauenfelder told the Hill. “A debate would only serve to legitimize him and provide a platform for his vile and dangerous rhetoric, and we won’t be part of that.”
Stein’s firm rebuttal to his GOP challenger comes after Robinson was linked to a username on an online pornography forum, according to a CNN report released Thursday.
The Republican candidate for governor reportedly discussed viewing transgender pornography and made numerous graphic sexual comments, as well as racist comments.
Robinson has denied the allegations and said he would remain in the race. “Everything Josh Stein [and] the Democrats say about Mark Robinson is either an outright lie or twisted so far out of context it might as well be,” his campaign told the Washington Examiner.
Less than half an hour before the report was published, Robinson appeared in a video denouncing the report as “tabloid trash.”
“My opponent is at it again,” he said in a post to X. “Let me assure you, the things 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 that I have been completely transparent in this race and before.”
I wanted to take a minute to address the latest outrageous lies coming from my opponent’s dishonest campaign: #ncgov #ncpol pic.twitter.com/RtteVUiozr
— Mark Robinson (@markrobinsonNC) September 19, 2024
The Washington Examiner reached out to the Stein campaign for comment.
During the video, Robinson compared himself to Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, who was accused of sexual harassment by Anita Hill ahead of his Supreme Court confirmation in the 1990s. Thomas was cleared of her claims.
“He was a victim of high-tech lynching,” Robinson said. “Well, it looks like Mark Robinson is too.”
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The governor’s race remains competitive, although Stein’s polling advantage has expanded in recent days. A Republican candidate has only won the governor’s mansion in the battleground state once since 1985.
The Washington Examiner reached out to the Stein campaign for comment.
