Robinson makes campaign official, jabs GOP opponents
Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, the front-runner for the Republican gubernatorial nomination, made his campaign official Thursday, filing paperwork with state elections officials. He also took a swing at GOP opponents.
Robinson, who was in Florida Tuesday for a fundraiser with former President Donald Trump, was under the weather, but in a softer-than-normal voice said he was “nervous, but super excited” about the campaign.
Robinson reiterated that he won’t debate his Republican opponents in the race. State Treasurer Dale Folwell and Salisbury attorney Bill Graham have filed to run against Robinson, pledging millions of their own money to fund their campaigns. Former state Sen. Andy Wells has also announced a gubernatorial run, but he hadn’t filed his paperwork as of late Thursday. He didn't respond to a request for comment. All three are polling far behind Robinson, though nearly 50% of Republican voters say they’re undecided.
“I'm not going to allow those guys to use me to get a stage,” Robinson said, when asked about his refusal to debate.
“It's clear what Bill Graham is,” Robinson continued. “And I hate to say this, but he's an ambulance chaser who sued farmers here in North Carolina. Now he thinks he wants to be the governor.”
Robinson’s refusal to debate is “just another example of Mark Robinson not showing up,” said Alex Baltzegar, a spokesman for Graham.
“Bill Graham has stood up to China-owned companies and the federal government while politicians like Mark Robinson have failed to show up time and time again.”
Graham is a trial lawyer whose firm sued Smithfield, one of the world’s largest pork producers and a subsidiary of a Chinese conglomerate, over pollution hog farms generate in eastern North Carolina. He also sued the federal government on behalf of military families who got cancer after exposure to contaminated water at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune in Jacksonville.
Robinson also responded Thursday to comments that Trump made at Tuesday’s fundraiser. The former president recalled meeting Robinson, who is known as a strong speaker, though his topics are often controversial.
Trump remembered telling Robinson that his voice was so good that “I swear I think you’re better than Dr. Martin Luther King.”
Robinson chuckled and demurred Thursday when asked about the comparison.
“Those are big shoes to fill, big shoes to fill,” Robinson said. “But [Trump] has a lot of confidence in us. And I took it as a compliment. But I certainly don't believe it myself. You'd have to be an awful big giant to fill those shoes.”
On the Democratic side, Attorney General Josh Stein and former Supreme Court Justice Mike Morgan are seeking their party’s nomination. Stein is far ahead of Morgan in recent polls and in a statistical tie with Robinson in a hypothetical matchup.
At least eight Republicans and two Democrats have filed to replace Robinson in the lieutenant governor’s office.
