North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson’s run for governor faced a major setback as key staffers resigned from the campaign between Sept. 21 and 22, following an investigation about his alleged past online behavior.
The departures include Robinson’s campaign manager, finance director, a top adviser and the deputy campaign manager, leaving critical positions vacant just weeks before the election.
Additional staff members, including the deputy finance director, two political directors and the director of operations, also left the campaign.
The resignations followed CNN’s report linking Robinson to controversial posts on a pornographic message board over a decade ago.
The investigation connected Robinson to an account named “MINISOLDR” on a website called Nude Africa, where posts included self-identification as a “Black Nazi” and controversial statements about historical figures, slavery, along with issues of race and gender.
The account made the posts between 2008 and 2012.
Robinson denied making the controversial posts, describing them as “salacious tabloid lies” and vowed to stay in the race.
Robinson is in a tight gubernatorial race against Democrat Josh Stein. Former President Trump endorsed Robinson months ago. However, Trump stayed silent on Robinson while at a campaign rally in North Carolina, suggesting a potential distancing between the two political figures.
“I appreciate the efforts of these team members who have made the difficult choice to step away from the campaign, and I wish them well in their future endeavors,” Robinson said in a statement. “I look forward to announcing new staff roles in the coming days.”
