According to a WRAL-TV poll from early September, Attorney General Josh Stein and Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson were locked in a virtual tie to become the state’s next governor. But a not-so-funny thing happened on the way to the election. Stein saturated the airwaves with anti-Robinson ads, some of which took Mark’s words out of context to make him look even more radical than he already appeared to be. In one ad, Robinson is seen delivering a fiery speech to a local church in which he says, “Some people need killing.” He was actually referring to enemies of America, including Nazis in WWII. In another ad, a daycare center once owned by Robinson and his wife was made to look like a third-world concentration camp. Gradually Robinson’s poll numbers began to slip.
If this scenario sounds eerily familiar, it is. In 2020, Attorney General Josh Stein was in danger of losing his bid for re-election to Forsyth District Attorney Jim O’Neill, so just months before the election Stein’s campaign ran false and defamatory ads against O’Neill, accusing Jim of leaving, “1,500 rape kits sitting on the shelf,” and implying that failure to test those kits in a timely manner allowed rapists to roam free to rape more victims. In doing so, Stein violated a 1931 law that makes it a “misdemeanor to knowingly circulate false, derogatory reports about a candidate with the intent of hurting that candidate’s chances in the election” (source AP). Violators must pay a fine and could spend up to 60 days in jail. A Wake County grand jury found that Stein should be indicted, but the very next day they were overturned by a three-judge panel comprised of two Democrats and one Republican. Stein had argued to the stacked panel that the 1931 law was outdated and he went on to win re-election.
Fast forward to last month. As was mentioned, Robinson’s poll numbers were starting to slip after Stein’s TV ads hit the air, but the lieutenant governor was still within striking distance. That is until someone steered CNN to a series of lewd posts that Robinson allegedly made on a porn site dating back to 2008. The postings also included Robinson allegedly referring to himself as a “Black Nazi.” Suddenly CNN’s Andrew Kaczynski had a full-blown investigative report ready to air less than two months before the election. Kaczynski stands by his report based on a study of user names, while Robinson denies the allegations. Nevertheless, the report went viral and by the first week in October Robinson had fallen behind Stein by as much as 20 points in polls that he once led only months before.
Robinson has certainly made a lot of outrageous statements in the past, calling homosexuality and transgenderism “filth,” and stating there would be less need for abortions if “women just kept their skirts down.” But here’s what baffles me about the sliding poll numbers. Donald Trump’s base of support has remained steady at about 48%, and that base has stood by the former president no matter what he says and does. Yet Robinson’s alleged postings on an old porn site have caused nearly half of that base to turn against the lieutenant governor.
In an effort to make sense of this mass MAGA defection, I made a flow chart to compare Trump’s transgressions versus those of Robinson.
Porn: Robinson allegedly posted lewd comments on a porn site. Trump had sex with a porn star while his wife was pregnant.
Nazis: Robinson allegedly referred to himself as a ”Black Nazi.” Trump referred to Nazis at a Charlottesville protest as “very fine people.” Trump also said last week that, “There are a lot of people in America with bad genes,” harkening back to a time when Hitler (and some leading American citizens) favored eugenics.
Violence: Robinson told a church congregation that some enemies of America need killing. After losing to Biden in 2020, Trump incited an insurrection that resulted in several deaths and hundreds of police officers being injured, and this year said if he loses again, “there will be a blood bath.”
Crimes: Robinson and his wife allegedly mismanaged government funds to operate a daycare center. Trump was convicted of 34 felonies associated with bank and tax fraud, as well as paying hush money from campaign funds.
Voter Fraud: Robinson believes there was voter fraud in the 2020 election. Trump tried to overturn the 2020 election through criminal means.
Abortion: Robinson believes that women wouldn’t need abortions if they just kept their skirts down. Trump claims to be the “protector” of women even though he made it possible for individual states to criminalize abortion.
Inclusion: Robinson called homosexuality and transgenderism “filth.” Trump blocked Trans rights afforded to them under Title IX.
Self Promotion: Robinson is working hard to sell voters on his integrity. Trump is selling tennis shoes, coins, Bibles, and now, watches.
Sexual Assault: Robinson allegedly posted that he used to look through peepholes at female students getting undressed. Trump has allegedly assaulted over two-dozen women and was found guilty of defaming a woman who said he raped her.
Donald Trump once boasted that he could shoot someone in the middle of Times Square and get away with it. Apparently, he was right because no matter what vile or illegal thing he does, Trump is able to hold onto his base of support. Robinson, on the other hand, has never raped a woman or been convicted of a felony, yet ever since the CNN story broke, Trump’s MAGA base is leaving the lieutenant governor in record numbers. Trump has been caught making lewd comments about women and has had sex with a porn star and an extramarital affair with a Playboy Playmate, so you can’t explain away Robinson’s voter erosion on moral failings. That only leaves race as a possible reason for MAGA voters to now have an acceptable excuse not to support a candidate that Trump himself endorsed.
Josh Stein, CNN, and Mark Robinson himself have all played a part in torpedoing the lieutenant governor’s campaign for higher office, but so have MAGA voters who seem to be guilty of a bizarre double standard.
Robinson and the Trump Base
According to a WRAL-TV poll from early September, Attorney General Josh Stein and Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson were locked in a virtual tie to become the state’s next governor. But a not-so-funny thing happened on the way to the election. Stein saturated the airwaves with anti-Robinson ads, some of which took Mark’s words out of context to make him look even more radical than he already appeared to be. In one ad, Robinson is seen delivering a fiery speech to a local church in which he says, “Some people need killing.” He was actually referring to enemies of America, including Nazis in WWII. In another ad, a daycare center once owned by Robinson and his wife was made to look like a third-world concentration camp. Gradually Robinson’s poll numbers began to slip.
If this scenario sounds eerily familiar, it is. In 2020, Attorney General Josh Stein was in danger of losing his bid for re-election to Forsyth District Attorney Jim O’Neill, so just months before the election Stein’s campaign ran false and defamatory ads against O’Neill, accusing Jim of leaving, “1,500 rape kits sitting on the shelf,” and implying that failure to test those kits in a timely manner allowed rapists to roam free to rape more victims. In doing so, Stein violated a 1931 law that makes it a “misdemeanor to knowingly circulate false, derogatory reports about a candidate with the intent of hurting that candidate’s chances in the election” (source AP). Violators must pay a fine and could spend up to 60 days in jail. A Wake County grand jury found that Stein should be indicted, but the very next day they were overturned by a three-judge panel comprised of two Democrats and one Republican. Stein had argued to the stacked panel that the 1931 law was outdated and he went on to win re-election.
Fast forward to last month. As was mentioned, Robinson’s poll numbers were starting to slip after Stein’s TV ads hit the air, but the lieutenant governor was still within striking distance. That is until someone steered CNN to a series of lewd posts that Robinson allegedly made on a porn site dating back to 2008. The postings also included Robinson allegedly referring to himself as a “Black Nazi.” Suddenly CNN’s Andrew Kaczynski had a full-blown investigative report ready to air less than two months before the election. Kaczynski stands by his report based on a study of user names, while Robinson denies the allegations. Nevertheless, the report went viral and by the first week in October Robinson had fallen behind Stein by as much as 20 points in polls that he once led only months before.
Robinson has certainly made a lot of outrageous statements in the past, calling homosexuality and transgenderism “filth,” and stating there would be less need for abortions if “women just kept their skirts down.” But here’s what baffles me about the sliding poll numbers. Donald Trump’s base of support has remained steady at about 48%, and that base has stood by the former president no matter what he says and does. Yet Robinson’s alleged postings on an old porn site have caused nearly half of that base to turn against the lieutenant governor.
In an effort to make sense of this mass MAGA defection, I made a flow chart to compare Trump’s transgressions versus those of Robinson.
Porn: Robinson allegedly posted lewd comments on a porn site. Trump had sex with a porn star while his wife was pregnant.
Nazis: Robinson allegedly referred to himself as a ”Black Nazi.” Trump referred to Nazis at a Charlottesville protest as “very fine people.” Trump also said last week that, “There are a lot of people in America with bad genes,” harkening back to a time when Hitler (and some leading American citizens) favored eugenics.
Violence: Robinson told a church congregation that some enemies of America need killing. After losing to Biden in 2020, Trump incited an insurrection that resulted in several deaths and hundreds of police officers being injured, and this year said if he loses again, “there will be a blood bath.”
Crimes: Robinson and his wife allegedly mismanaged government funds to operate a daycare center. Trump was convicted of 34 felonies associated with bank and tax fraud, as well as paying hush money from campaign funds.
Voter Fraud: Robinson believes there was voter fraud in the 2020 election. Trump tried to overturn the 2020 election through criminal means.
Abortion: Robinson believes that women wouldn’t need abortions if they just kept their skirts down. Trump claims to be the “protector” of women even though he made it possible for individual states to criminalize abortion.
Inclusion: Robinson called homosexuality and transgenderism “filth.” Trump blocked Trans rights afforded to them under Title IX.
Self Promotion: Robinson is working hard to sell voters on his integrity. Trump is selling tennis shoes, coins, Bibles, and now, watches.
Sexual Assault: Robinson allegedly posted that he used to look through peepholes at female students getting undressed. Trump has allegedly assaulted over two-dozen women and was found guilty of defaming a woman who said he raped her.
Donald Trump once boasted that he could shoot someone in the middle of Times Square and get away with it. Apparently, he was right because no matter what vile or illegal thing he does, Trump is able to hold onto his base of support. Robinson, on the other hand, has never raped a woman or been convicted of a felony, yet ever since the CNN story broke, Trump’s MAGA base is leaving the lieutenant governor in record numbers. Trump has been caught making lewd comments about women and has had sex with a porn star and an extramarital affair with a Playboy Playmate, so you can’t explain away Robinson’s voter erosion on moral failings. That only leaves race as a possible reason for MAGA voters to now have an acceptable excuse not to support a candidate that Trump himself endorsed.
Josh Stein, CNN, and Mark Robinson himself have all played a part in torpedoing the lieutenant governor’s campaign for higher office, but so have MAGA voters who seem to be guilty of a bizarre double standard.