North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson made his first public appearance on Saturday evening at a meet-and-greet in Fayetteville, following allegations of making sexually explicit and racially charged comments online.
Speaking at the Carlton Lamm "Big C" Memorial Race event at Fayetteville Motor Speedway, which kicked off at 6 p.m.,
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Robinson positioned himself as a conservative, Christian candidate focused on key issues. He largely avoided discussing the recent allegations against him.
"We are the people of North Carolina," Robinson said.
After new allegations about his past, he only hinted at the scandal.
"While everybody else wants to focus on the garbage, and the trash that tries to besmirch people, we’re out here telling people about what we want to do, how we want to partner with you to make this state better and help North Carolina be better," Robinson said.
A CNN article published this week alleges that the Republican nominee made inappropriate comments on a porn message board. Robinson has denied these claims.
Republican Senator Thom Tillis suggested that if the report is untrue, Robinson should either take legal action or withdraw from the race.
Some of his supporters, including Justin Hall, do not believe the allegations.
"If I could call it true, i would definitely be concerned, but I don’t believe it’s true," Hall said. "I believe it’s something that was made up because democrats are getting desperate."
Others argue that even if it's true, it’s part of his past.
"Everybody makes mistakes. You live and you learn, and nobody truly knows a person’s background and really knows the truth about things," one supporter said.
Robinson, the Republican nominee in the governor's race against Josh Stein, trails Stein by 14 percentage points in a recent WRAL News poll.
Robinson finds himself embroiled in controversy again with Election Day just 45 days away. The 56-year-old was connected to a series of inflammatory comments on pornography website Nude Africa's message board more than a decade ago, in which he referred to himself as a "Black Nazi" and expressed support for reinstating slavery, CNN reports.
Some Republicans have called on Robinson to do more to prove the comments were not his or risk hurting efforts by former President Donald Trump, the GOP presidential nominee, to return to the White House. Trump is scheduled to speak on Saturday afternoon in Wilmington. Robinson, whom Trump has voiced support for in the past, will not be part of that rally. Trump endorsed Robinson, calling him "better" than Martin Luther King, Jr. in December.