JUANA SUMMERS, HOST:
Fallout from allegations of racist, antisemitic and other offensive online comments by the Republican candidate for North Carolina Governor continues to ripple across that state and the race for president since Donald Trump has endorsed him. Republican candidate Mark Robinson denies that he was the person posting comments that CNN reports he left on a pornography website more than a decade ago. To catch us up on the latest, we're joined now by Colin Campbell at WUNC in Chapel Hill. Hey, Colin.
COLIN CAMPBELL, BYLINE: Hey, Juana.
SUMMERS: So, Colin, I just want to start by making sure everyone understands exactly what was in the CNN reporting. What exactly does their story allege that Robinson did here?
CAMPBELL: So NPR hasn't confirmed this report, but CNN did a deep dive into the archives of an obscure pornographic website, and they released a story late yesterday showing posts online they said came from Robinson between 2008 and 2012. This was long before he ran for office. They had a long list of offensive statements. The commenter on the site who says CNN - that CNN says is Robinson referred to himself as a Black Nazi, called for the return of slavery and made some other homophobic and misogynistic statements.
The report says it tied Robinson to the account because they used the same email address and some personal information from him. This report comes after months of stories about Robinson's statements in speeches and interviews, as well as on social media, about women, race and other topics. For example, he said that women seeking abortions, in his words, should have kept their skirts down.
SUMMERS: OK. Two questions here, Colin - one, how has Robinson responded? The second - what about his party? What about Republicans?
CAMPBELL: So he says he didn't write the post, and he's been comparing himself to another prominent Black conservative, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, who was accused of sexual harassment back in the '90s.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
MARK ROBINSON: Clarence Thomas famously once said he was the victim of high-tech lynching. Well, it looks like Mark Robinson is, too, by a man who refuses to stand on stage and debate me about the real issues that face you.
CAMPBELL: He's referring there to his Democratic opponent, Attorney General Josh Stein, who says Robinson is unfit for office and had already said he wouldn't debate him because he doesn't want to give him a platform for the things he says. And Stein is ahead in some polls now by more than 10% even before this happened.
As far as the Republicans here, the reaction has been a little more complicated. The State Republican Party posted a statement last night standing by Robinson, and only one GOP candidate so far has called for him to drop out. Other Republicans have been condemning the comments with an if-it's-really-him caveat. A few took down some photos they'd posted with him on the - social media sites. We haven't heard any comment from Trump about this yet, but as you mentioned, he did endorse Robinson in the primary and frequently praises him on the campaign trail.
SUMMERS: I mean, Colin, you know this better than I do, but it is a tight race there in North Carolina for the White House. Could this story have an impact on former President Trump's campaign?
CAMPBELL: Trump is actually scheduled to be in Wilmington, N.C., tomorrow for a rally, and NPR has confirmed that Robinson won't be attending like he has at previous Trump rallies held here. Meanwhile, Vice President Kamala Harris' campaign released a new ad today. They're pairing Trump's praise for Robinson with a video of the candidate's comments opposing abortion access. I spoke with Western Carolina University political scientist Chris Cooper today, and he says that's going to be the strategy now for Democrats from the presidential race on down to state legislature, to try to tie their opponents to Mark Robinson.
CHRIS COOPER: In the end, I think, if it is successful, we're going to see just a little bit of a demobilization of that Republican electorate. The best case scenario for the Republicans, I think, is if people sort of put Mark Robinson is in a - in his own box, still show up and vote for Republicans everywhere else and just skip over that race.
CAMPBELL: Cooper told me a drop in Republican turnout could hurt Trump, who only won about a percentage point here in 2020.
SUMMERS: Quick last answer, Colin - any chance Robinson drops out after all this scrutiny?
CAMPBELL: There's not much talk of that happening now, and it's unclear if he could legally do it. Absentee ballots started going out today in North Carolina, and Robinson says he's staying in the race at this point.
SUMMERS: That's Colin Campbell from WUNC in Chapel Hill. Colin, thank you.
CAMPBELL: Thanks a lot. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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