NC Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson back on campaign trail following injuries

FROM WXII 12 NEWS. THIS IS BREAKING NEWS. BREAKING NEWS IN THE RACE FOR OUR STATE’S GOVERNOR. A NEW CNN REPORT ACCUSES REPUBLICAN NOMINEE MARK ROBINSON OF MAKING INFLAMMATORY COMMENTS IN CHAT ROOMS. NOW, THE CURRENT LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR IS FACING PRESSURE EVEN FROM WITHIN MEMBERS OF HIS OWN PARTY, TO DROP OUT OF THE RACE BEFORE TONIGHT’S MIDNIGHT DEADLINE. WE HAVE TEAM COVERAGE, INCLUDING ANALYSIS AND A REPORT FROM WASHINGTON, D.C. WE WANT TO START AT HOME, THOUGH, WITH OUR BILL O’NEILL. BILL, GOOD EVENING. GOOD EVENING. THIS IS A STORY THAT CAME OUT THIS AFTERNOON. CNN REPORTING THAT MR. ROBINSON MADE INFLAMMATORY STATEMENTS ON A PORNOGRAPHIC WEBSITE MESSAGE BOARD, MORE THAN A DECADE AGO. IN IT, HE REFERRED TO HIMSELF AS A BLACK NAZI, AND HE EXPRESSED SUPPORT FOR REINSTATING SLAVERY. LATER THIS AFTERNOON, MR. ROBINSON RESPONDED TO THE STORY IN AN INTERVIEW WITH CNN. THE THINGS THAT PEOPLE CAN DO WITH THE INTERNET NOW IS INCREDIBLE, BUT WHAT I CAN TELL YOU IS THIS AGAIN, THESE ARE NOT MY WORDS. THIS IS SIMPLY TABLOID TRASH BEING USED AS A DISTRACTION FROM THE SUBSTANTIVE ISSUES THAT THE PEOPLE OF THIS STATE ARE FACING. ROBINSON CAMPAIGN SAYS THERE ARE NO PLANS AT THIS TIME TO DROP OUT OF THE RACE. STATE BOARD OF ELECTIONS TELLS US THE DEADLINE TO DROP OUT IS MIDNIGHT TONIGHT. ACCORDING TO THE LATEST POLL, MR. ROBINSON TRAILS DEMOCRAT JOSH STEIN BY 14 POINTS IN GREENSBORO. I’M BILL O’NEIL. WXII 12 NEWS. ALL RIGHT, BILL, THANK YOU. THE CAMPAIGN FOR ROBINSON’S OPPONENT, DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE FOR GOVERNOR AND CURRENT NORTH CAROLINA ATTORNEY GENERAL JOSH STEIN, RELEASING A STATEMENT LATE THIS AFTERNOON ON THAT REPORT. THE STATEMENT SAYS, QUOTE, NORTH CAROLINIANS ALREADY KNOW MARK ROBINSON IS COMPLETELY UNFIT TO BE GOVERNOR. JOSH REMAINS FOCUSED ON WINNING THIS CAMPAIGN SO THAT TOGETHER WE CAN BUILD A SAFER, STRONGER NORTH CAROLINA FOR EVERYONE. ALL RIGHT, LET’S HEAD ON OVER TO CHRISTOPHER SALAS. NOW, WHO’S JOINING US LIVE FROM OUR WASHINGTON BUREAU WITH REACTION FROM LAWMAKERS THERE TO ALL OF THIS. CHRISTOPHER, WHAT ARE THEY SAYING? WELL, AS YOU JUST REPORTED, MARK ROBINSON HAS A HISTORY OF INFLAMMATORY REMARKS. WE REACHED OUT TO NORTH CAROLINA’S TWO SENATORS, THOM TILLIS AND TED BUDD, TO ASK THEIR REACTION TO THESE LATEST ALLEGATIONS. NOW, WE HAVE YET TO HEAR BACK FROM SENATOR TILLIS, BUT DURING THE GOP PRIMARY, TILLIS DID ENDORSE ROBINSON’S CHALLENGER. THAT’S BUSINESSMAN BILL GRAHAM. SENATOR BUD’S OFFICE, JUST GIVING US AN UPDATED STATEMENT SAYING, QUOTE, THE COMMENTS REPORTED IN THE ARTICLE ARE DISGUSTING. MARK ROBINSON SAYS THEY ARE NOT FROM HIM. HE NEEDS TO PROVE THAT TO THE VOTERS. ROBINSON PREVIOUSLY HAS HAD SUPPORT FROM OTHER TOP GOP LEADERS, INCLUDING FORMER PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP, WHO HAS VOICED SUPPORT OF ROBINSON IN THE PAST. YOU’LL REMEMBER AT A RALLY IN GREENSBORO IN MARCH, TRUMP COMPARED ROBINSON TO A FAMOUS CIVIL RIGHTS LEADER, MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. I SAID, I THINK YOU’RE BETTER THAN MARTIN LUTHER KING. I THINK YOU ARE MARTIN LUTHER KING TIMES TWO. ROBINSON WAS ELECTED LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR IN HIS FIRST BID FOR PUBLIC OFFICE IN 2020. STATE LAW SAYS A GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE CAN WITHDRAW AS A CANDIDATE. NO LATER THAN THE DAY BEFORE THE FIRST ABSENTEE BALLOTS REQUESTED BY MILITARY AND OVERSEAS VOTERS ARE DISTRIBUTED. THAT WOULD BE TONIGHT AT MIDNIGHT, AS YOUR PREVIOUS REPORTER INDICATED BACK TO YOU GUYS, CHRISTOPHER SALAS LIVE IN DC. MANY THANKS. LET’S CONTINUE OUR TEAM COVERAGE NOW. WAKE FOREST POLITICAL SCIENCE PROFESSOR, DOCTOR JOHN DYNAN. GOOD TO SEE YOU. AS ALWAYS. I WANT TO PICK THINGS UP RIGHT WHERE SENATOR BUDD LEFT THEM IN THAT CHRISTOPHER SALAS REPORT. I’M PARAPHRASING. THESE ARE DISGUSTING COMMENTS. MARK ROBINSON SAYS HE DID NOT MAKE THEM. IT IS UP TO HIM TO PROVE THAT TO VOTERS. HOW DOES HE DO THAT? IS IS SAYING THIS WAS ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND THIS THIS ISN’T WHAT I. IS THAT SUFFICIENT? IS THAT GOING TO BE CONVINCING TO ENOUGH PEOPLE BASED ON WHAT WE’VE SEEN FROM THE CNN REPORT, IT SEEMS TO BE A VERY WELL DOCUMENTED REPORT THAT TIES ROBINSON VERY CLEARLY. AND CLOSELY TO SOME OF THOSE STATEMENTS. NOW, ROBINSON WILL HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO PUSH BACK AGAINST THAT. AND THAT’S WHAT SENIOR REPUBLICANS ARE TELLING ROBINSON HE NEEDS TO DO TO ACTUALLY PROVIDE SOME PROOF THAT THAT’S NOT HIM. ABSENT SOME PROOF OR EFFECTIVE PUSHBACK, REPUBLICAN OFFICIALS ARE GOING TO START DISTANCING THEMSELVES FROM ROBINSON. WE TALKED ABOUT THAT MIDNIGHT DEADLINE. AND OF COURSE, AS WE’VE BEEN REPORTING ALL WEEK, AS WE SEE DONALD TRUMP ON SCREEN RIGHT NOW, THE FORMER PRESIDENT HAS A RALLY IN WILMINGTON ON SATURDAY. I WOULDN’T IMAGINE NECESSARILY THAT MARK ROBINSON WOULD BE AT THAT RALLY, BUT PERHAPS IF HE STAYS IN THE RACE AND IS GOING TO FIGHT THIS, MAYBE HE IS. WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THAT? THIS IS THE CHALLENGE THAT THESE ALLEGATIONS POSE FOR REPUBLICANS. DO THEY STILL CONTINUE TO APPEAR ALONGSIDE ROBINSON ON THE STAGE? DO THEY STILL CONTINUE TO BE SEEN AS ENDORSING HIM? ROBINSON HAS PLACED REPUBLICAN OFFICIALS, PARTICULARLY THOSE WHO WILL BE RUNNING ALONGSIDE HIM ON THE BALLOT THIS YEAR AND A REALLY DIFFICULT POSITION. IT’S WHY I WOULD EXPECT THE DRUMBEAT OF PRESSURE TO PICK UP TODAY ON ROBINSON TO RECONSIDER STAYING IN THE RACE. IT IS 604 RIGHT NOW IN THE STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA, LESS THAN SIX HOURS LEFT. WHAT SORT OF DISCUSSIONS ARE HAPPENING AT HIGH LEVELS ON THE RIGHT IN OUR STATE? DO YOU THINK BEHIND CLOSED DOORS RIGHT NOW THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE AND RUNNING FOR STATE LEGISLATURE, RUNNING FOR COUNCIL OF STATE, RUNNING FOR CONGRESS AND RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT, WHO HAVE AN INTEREST IN ENSURING THAT MARK ROBINSON DOES NOT PULL DOWN SOME OF THEIR OWN CAMPAIGNS AND PULL DOWN REPUBLICAN PROSPECTS. THERE WILL BE FINANCIAL DONORS WHO WILL BE TELLING HIM WHETHER OR NOT THEY’LL BE CONTINUE OR NOT CONTINUE. THE MOST IMPORTANT PERSON, THOUGH, MAY BE DONALD TRUMP. DOES DONALD TRUMP PLACE A CALL TO MARK ROBINSON AND SAY, PERHAPS YOU SHOULD CONSIDER STEPPING OUT OF THE RACE? HE WOULD BE THE ONE PERSON WHO COULD DEFINITELY WIELD INFLUENCE. I DON’T KNOW WHETHER IT HAPPENED, BUT AS THE DAY GOES BY, THE CHANCES AND THE ODDS OF ROBINSON RECONSIDERING STAYING IN THE RACE INCREASE QUICKLY. IF YOU HAD TO QUANTIFY IT, WHAT ARE THE ODDS THAT MARK ROBINSON IS STILL RUNNING THIS TIME TOMORROW? I KNOW THAT ROBINSON HAS INITIALLY GIVEN STATEMENTS SAYING I AM STAYING IN THE RACE. YOU’RE NOT GETTING ME OUT OF THAT RACE. WE ALSO SAW JOE BIDEN EARLIER THIS SUMMER SAY, I’M STAYING IN THE RACE. I WILL NOT BE LEAVING JOE BIDEN EVENTUALLY CAME TO A DIFFERENT DECISION. IT WOULD NOT SURPRISE ME IF MARK ROBINSON COMES TO A DIFFERENT DECISION BASED ON PRESSURE, DELIBERATION, DISCUSSION WITH OTHER REPUBLICANS WHO FEAR BEING DRAGGED DOWN BY HIS CONTINUED PRESENCE ON THE TICKET. JOHN, WE APPRECIATE YOUR ANALYSIS AND INSIGHT. WE’LL CONTINUE TO FOLLOW THIS DEVELOPING STORY WITH UPDATES THROUGHOUT OUR EVENING AND LATE NEWSCASTS. AND A REMINDER, WHEN WE ARE NOT ON TV, WHEN WE’RE NOT ON THE AIR, YOU CAN ALWAYS GET UPDATE