On the weekend that most of his campaign staffers were abandoning him, as former President Donald Trump ghosted him, and as fellow Republicans urged him to publicly make his case if he is wrongly accused of making salacious comments about sex, Nazis and slavery on a pornographic website, gubernatorial candidate Mark Robinson found himself among thousands of friends on Saturday at the Fayetteville Motor Speedway.
The racetrack’s long driveway and fences were festooned with campaign signs for Trump and Robinson. A jeep roving the infield flew a flag that read “FJB” and “Let’s go Brandon” — slang for “f*** Joe Biden,” the outgoing Democratic president. Some spectators wore Mark Robinson campaign shirts, and an 8-year-old boy wore a Robinson campaign hat.
The only obvious potential dissenter was a man carrying a pizza from the concessions to the grandstand. He wore a “Lebowski 2024” shirt — a fun bit of parodic drip referring to the 1998 comedy film The Big Lebowski, starring Jeff Bridges.
Robinson is going to need all the friends he can get as he finishes up his 2024 campaign for governor against Democrat Josh Stein.
Saturday’s visit to the dirt track for the annual Carlton Lamm “Big C” Memorial Race was Robinson’s first public appearance since CNN and The Washington Post reported Robinson’s activities on the Nude Africa pornographic website.
It was a chance to publicly answer difficult or uncomfortable questions — as all high-ranking public officials must sometimes do in the course of their service — following those reports.
But as Robinson walked along the racetrack in front of the grandstand, and a CityView reporter asked him if he would give an interview to the news outlets that came to see him, a tall man quickly stepped forward and answered for Robinson.
There would be no interviews, the tall man said.
As a result:
- Robinson passed on a chance to tell voters what message they should take from Trump’s appearance in Wilmington earlier on Saturday. Trump could have brought Robinson on stage and told the voters to stand with his man, Mark. Trump — who previously endorsed Robinson and appeared with him on Aug. 21 in Asheboro — never spoke Robinson’s name during his 64-minute speech. Yet Trump called out the names of other North Carolina Republicans. (In Asheboro, Trump praised Robinson — “Mark Robinson, he’s out there. He’s fighting. He’s fighting. He’s a great one.”)
- Robinson didn’t give his side of the story following a report in the politically right-leaning Carolina Journal last week that the Trump campaign tried to persuade Robinson to drop out of the race so he could be replaced with another Republican. Who contacted Robinson? What did they say? What did Robinson say back to them? What does Robinson say to anyone who thinks he could drag Trump down in North Carolina, and potentially cost Trump the presidential election? (A spokesman for Robinson told Carolina Journal, “Whomever your sources are here, it is complete fiction.”)
- Robinson didn’t take the opportunity on Saturday to say whether he will file defamation litigation, as Republican U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina said on Friday he should do, if the news reports are false.
During a campaign stop on Monday in Wilkesboro, Robinson briefly spoke with reporters and said he was seeking legal counsel to pursue CNN — “We are going after them.” His campaign announced on Tuesday it hired the Binnall Law Group of Alexandria, Virginia.
“I am confident that Binnall Law Group will leave no stone unturned and enable us to use every legal means necessary to hold CNN accountable for their lies,” Robinson said in his announcement.
The Robinson campaign did not respond to queries CityView made to its spokesman on Friday, Saturday, Tuesday and Wednesday.
Supporters say Robinson should get the checkered flag
Robinson fans at the Fayetteville Motor Speedway on Saturday were keeping the faith.
They cheered as he gave a short speech before the evening’s races got underway, and several in interviews said they hoped to meet him.
“You are the reason why I’m running for governor,” Robinson told the crowd. He urged voters to focus on policy and issues. “While everybody else wants to focus on the garbage and the trash and is trying to besmirch people, we’re out telling the people about what we want to do, how we want to partner with you, to make this state better and to help your lives to be better.”
Marion House of Wade, a town of about 640 people in eastern Cumberland County, said he had been watching the negative news that came out about Robinson.
“I definitely don’t believe it because he sounds like to me that he’s a devout Christian, and that’s what we need as governor. And he’s got my vote 100%,” House said. A little while later, House shook hands with Robinson as Robinson worked his way through the crowd and posed for photos with supporters.
Republican state House District 42 candidate Leonard Bryant of Fayetteville met Robinson for the first time at the racetrack. Bryant told CityView afterward he believes everyday voters aren’t talking about the allegations against Robinson. When Bryant goes door-to-door to meet voters, he said, they talk about issues like inflation, illegal immigration and funding for veterans programs.
“I think that what we have to do is focus on the issues,” Bryant said. “I’m not much for distraction.”
Dale Jones of the Rocky Mount area didn’t know Robinson would be at the race, but he was glad to see him. “He’s done a good job. He’s for the people,” Jones said.
He sees the negative news as a signal from Robinson’s adversaries. “They’re gonna try to belittle the opponent, instead of coming straight on,” Jones said.
The negative news could turn some undecided voters away from Robinson, he said. “It probably will,” he said. “But that’s just that type of people, you know? Some people are only for the moment, and what’s happening right now.”
Senior reporter Paul Woolverton can be reached at 910-261-4710 and pwoolverton@cityviewnc.com. This story was made possible by donations from readers like you to the CityView News Fund, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization committed to an informed democracy in Fayetteville and Cumberland County.
