'It's time for me to stand up and serve,' NC Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson says about 2024 governor's race

North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson on Saturday made some of his strongest statements yet suggesting he will run for governor in 2024.

“It’s time for me to stand up and serve,” Robinson, the state’s top Republican executive office-holder, said during a speech at the influential Conservative Political Action Conference outside Washington, D.C.

Robinson, who in 2020 was elected the state's first Black lieutenant governor, has previously said he’s extremely likely to run for the state’s highest executive office. Current Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper won't run again due to term limits.

While Robinson stopped short of explicitly saying he will run, his fiery statements all but made certain again that it's his intent, saying that it's one of the state's "most poorly kept secrets."

“I don't need a legacy of a political career," he said. "I need to leave a legacy of freedom for the people that I serve. And that's exactly what I intend to do.”

The Saturday speech was the latest on a national stage for Robinson, who is a regular at high-profile national events that support conservative causes. And it offers possible clues about what he might discuss Monday when he gives the state GOP response to Cooper’s State of the State address.

Robinson thanked law enforcement, while denouncing groups that seek to reduce police funding. He praised parents who “refuse to have their children indoctrinated by [critical race theory].” And he thanked teachers who are “pushing back against those agendas, fighting to do what's right for our students.”

Robinson also touched on national themes Republicans have focused on at the national level in recent years. He gave thanks to border patrollers, who he says don’t have the support of Washington, questioning President Joe Biden's commitment border security.

And he suggested that Americans deepen their respect for God, adding that his political fate is in God's hands. “I'm not saying that I'm ordained to be the governor," Robinson said. "But if it's his will for me to be, it will be. And no one can stop it.”

A Robinson entry into the gubernatorial race could set up a possible battle against presumptive Democratic nominee Attorney General Josh Stein, who announced plans to run last month. And the two have been amassing war chests suggestive of such a battle.

Robinson could also face challengers from within his party for the gubernatorial nomination. Republican State Treasurer Dale Folwell has said he’s considering a run.

Recent polling suggests challengers could stand little chance against Robinson, whose bombastic style and controversial rhetoric — including antisemitic and homophobic comments — have endeared him to hardline conservatives including former President Donald Trump, while also generating blowback from some in his own party.

A survey late last year of likely Republican primary voters looked at hypothetical match-ups between Robinson and other potential GOP candidates for 2024. While 59.7% of likely GOP primary voters would opt for Robinson, just 6.3% said they’d vote for Folwell, according to the poll released by GOP political consulting group The Differentiators. Thirty-four percent were undecided.

The CPAC conference where Robinson was speaking Saturday is an annual conference hosted by the American Conservative Union. It attracts some of the biggest national names in the GOP and attendance all but required for Republican presidential hopefuls.

Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley were among the announced or potential presidential candidates to speak at this year’s conference, along with other notable names such as Trump and a raft of other high-profile conservative politicians, pundits and operatives.

The state Democratic Party criticized Robinson for attending the event.

“You are the company you keep, and Mark Robinson continues to prove to North Carolinians just how far he will pull our state backward,” state Democratic Party spokesperson Kate Frauenfelder said in a statement ahead of his speech.