ROCKINGHAM — Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson is not giving up on his campaign for governor.
Robinson made a campaign stop Friday afternoon at La Cabana in Rockingham, walking into the restaurant to applause from local supporters.
One of those was young Black Republican Jerel Miller from Anson County.
“Mark Robinson, when he gets out there with a great fiery speech and gets the community and the public fired up… it just gives you that motivation to keep fighting for whatever you believe in, no matter what color you are … no matter your background or where you come from, just keep fighting, pushing forward.”
Miller said there are a few other Black conservatives in his home county, although some are still registered with the Democratic Party.
“I’m not afraid to let anyone know what I am,” Miller said, sporting an autographed cap reading: “Trump Force Captain.”
Miller said he believes Robinson’s chance of winning the election against Josh Stein, current state attorney general and Democratic candidate for governor, have gone up.
Robinson’s appearance comes a week after a CNN report tying him to comments made on an adult website years ago.
Robinson has repeatedly denied the comments and did so again on Friday, dedicating the first bit of his speech to the topic.
“The news is talking about some 15-year-old false allegations that got drummed up against me and all these salacious things they want to talk about that didn’t happen,” Robinson said. “When they couldn’t get me on what I did say then they tried to make up something that I didn’t say.
“But the bottom line is this: Everything that they’ve been talking about about me has been meant to distract from the facts.”
Robinson continued, saying that the media only reports him saying “something negative,” but not about his campaigning on the five pillars that the state’s economy is built on.
Those pillars, Robinson said, are: public safety; public education; health care; infrastructure; and housing.
“The governor appoints the people who are over those agencies,” Robinson said.
During a post-speech interview, Robinson said it was time to make investments in the eastern and western areas of the state, which are more rural, and help them grow
“It’s time to make sure everybody in this state …can make a great living right where you live, you don’t have to leave,” Robinson said.
The lieutenant governor said the media doesn’t mention the state of the state when Democrats ruled the executive and legislative branches, including debt to the federal government, as well as high taxes and tight regulations that prevented businesses from moving here.
“Republicans took over in 2010 and got to work on our economy,” Robinson said. “Fourteen years later … we have a $5 billion-dollar surplus, we’re the No. 2 business destination in the nation … and everybody’s ready to do business here in North Carolina.”
Robinson added that small business filings are at an all-time high, “despite the woes that we see on the federal level.”
The media, according to Robinson, instead chooses to focus on “garbage,” half-truths, “and outright lies.”
“Meanwhile, while they’re talking about garbage, that doesn’t make any difference to anybody, guess what’s happening right now out on our streets… I guarantee you somebody out here in North Carolina just bought the dose of fentanyl that’s gonna kill ‘em … and tonight, some family’s going to get that awful phone call.”
(NOTE: The RO will have more later on Robinson’s thoughts on the opioid epidemic.)
Robinson threw out other scenarios of concern, including small businesses owners losing sleep over inflation, parents worried about the safety of schools, and individuals struggling with decent health care.
“These are the issues we need to be worried about, folks,” Robinson said. “This is not about personalities … it’s not about whether or not it gives you a warm, fuzzy feeling inside. Nobody gave a hoot in Hades about bad tweets when gas was $1.45 a gallon, and I’ll take bad tweets and $1.45-a-gallon gas all day long compared to what we’ve got right now.”
In his closing, Robinson encouraged supporters to go to the polls “…and find Rs and push ‘em.”
“A 70 percent good Republican is 100 percent better than a Democrat any day, nowadays,” Robinson continued. “There’s one party that wants to do right by the country …and the state, and one party that doesn’t. The one that does is the Republican Party.”
