Mark Robinson (American politician)

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Mark Robinson
File:3I3A3929 (cropped).jpg
Robinson in 2020
35th Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina
Assumed office
January 9, 2021
Governor Roy Cooper
Preceded by Dan Forest
Personal details
Born Mark Keith Robinson
(1968-08-18) August 18, 1968 (age 56)
Greensboro, North Carolina, U.S.
Political party Republican
Spouse(s) Yolanda Hill (m. 1990)
Children 2
Education North Carolina A&T State University
University of North Carolina at Greensboro (no degree)
Signature Mark Robinson (American politician)'s signature
Website https://ltgov.nc.gov/
Military service
Allegiance  United States
Service/branch  United States Army
Years of service 1985–1989
Unit United States Army Reserve

Mark Keith Robinson (born August 18, 1968)[1] is an American politician serving as the 35th lieutenant governor of North Carolina since 2021. A member of the Republican Party, he is the first African-American to hold the office of lieutenant governor in North Carolina. He defeated Democratic nominee Yvonne Lewis Holley in the 2020 lieutenant gubernatorial election. Robinson has promoted conspiracy theories, including Holocaust denial,[2][3] and has often made inflammatory anti-LGBT,[4][5][6] antisemitic,[7] and Islamophobic statements.[5][8] He is running for Governor of North Carolina in the 2024 election.[9]

Early life and education

Robinson was born in Greensboro, North Carolina, as the ninth of ten children.[10] Robinson has said that his father was abusive and alcoholic, and that he and his family suffered from domestic violence; Robinson and his siblings lived in foster care for part of their childhood, before moving back in with their mother, who worked as a custodian.[11][12] After graduating from Grimsley High School,[13] he served in the Army Reserve, later attending North Carolina A&T State University and working at several furniture factories in the Triad region.[11][14] While working in furniture manufacturing, he took history classes at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, with the goal of securing a degree and becoming a history teacher.[5]

Political career

Robinson attributed the beginning of his interest in American conservative politics to his reading of a book by Rush Limbaugh, after which he "found out that I was conservative and always had been."[5] On April 3, 2018, Robinson attended a meeting of the Greensboro City Council, where they debated whether or not to cancel a gun show in the wake of the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting. Robinson spoke in favor of gun rights, and video of his speech went viral after it was shared on Facebook by Mark Walker.[15][16] Afterwards, Robinson dropped out of the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and left his job in furniture manufacturing to focus on public speaking engagements.[5] He was invited to speak at the National Rifle Association of America's annual convention that year.[17][18]

2020 campaign

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Main article: 2020 North Carolina lieutenant gubernatorial election

In 2019, Robinson entered the Republican primary in the election for lieutenant governor of North Carolina after the finance reporting period ended.[19] He won the Republican nomination, clearing the 30% threshold to avoid a primary runoff, defeating state senator Andy Wells, superintendent of public instruction Mark Johnson, former congresswoman Renee Ellmers, and former state representative Scott Stone.[20] He faced Democratic nominee Yvonne Lewis Holley in the general election in November,[21] in a race in which either Robinson or Holley would become North Carolina's first African-American lieutenant governor.[22] Robinson was elected,[23] becoming the second black person ever elected to the North Carolina Council of State (the first was Ralph Campbell Jr.)[24]

Robinson's 2020 campaign finance reports contained incomplete information on his campaign contributors.[25] Campaign finance watchdog Bob Hall identified several questionable expenditures in Robinson's campaign reports, including $186 for medical bills and for $2,840 for "campaign clothes and accessories" (most of it spent at a sporting goods shop); the campaign did not explain how these expenditures were campaign-related.[25] Robinson's reports also stated that Robinson's wife spent $4,500 for "campaign clothing" but gave no details.[25] The reports also stated that Robinson withdrew an unexplained $2,400 in cash in apparent violation of a state law requiring all candidate cash payments over $50 to be accompanied by a detailed description explaining of what the money was for.[25] After these expenses came under scrutiny in 2021, Robinson's campaign blamed "clerical errors"; Bob Hall filed a formal complaint with the State Board of Elections over these and other discrepancies.[25]

Political views and remarks

Robinson promoted his persona as a "brash and unfiltered conservative culture warrior".[7] He opposes abortion,[26] promotes climate change denial,[27] and opposes the legalization of recreational marijuana.[28] He has indicated that he wants to remove science and social studies from first- through fifth-grade curriculum, abolish the State Board of Education, and expand charter schools and school voucher programs, potentially supplanting the public-school system.[29]

Antisemitic remarks

Robinson's past antisemitic comments have drawn scrutiny and condemnation.[7][30] Prior to running for lieutenant governor, he frequently made Facebook posts that invoked antisemitic stereotypes down downplayed the harms of Nazism.[31][32] He claimed that the Marvel movie Black Panther was "created by an agnostic Jew and put to film by satanic Marxists" that was "only created to pull the shekels out of your Schvartze pockets" (using a Yiddish word for "black people").[33][26] Robinson also appeared at an interview with fringe pastor Sean Moon, who claimed that he planned to become "king of the United States"; in the interview, Moon claimed that the Rothschild family was one of the "four horsemen of the apocalypse" and promoted the antisemitic conspiracy theory of a cabal of Jewish "international bankers" that rule every country's central bank. Robinson endorsed Moon's claim as "exactly right".[30] Robinson's statements, as well as his refusal to apologize for or retract them, drew much concern from the leaders of North Carolina's Jewish community,[7] as well as criticism from the Jewish Democratic Council of America and the Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC).[31] Robinson declined to publicly apologize for any of his remarks, although he said he privately apologized to local Jewish leaders in a meeting in 2021.[31] In 2022, Robinson said that his Facebook post about Black Panther was "the only time I've ever apologized for anything I put on Facebook" and said "I knew the truth of what I was trying to say, but I should have chosen different words."[29]

Holocaust denialism

In March 2023, more of Robinson's past social-media statements emerged, including Facebook posts appearing to call the figure of 6 million Jews perishing in the Holocaust into question;[32] for example, Robinson wrote: "this foolishness about Hitler disarming MILLIONS of Jews and then marching them off to concentration camps is a bunch of hogwash,"[2] and "There is a REASON the liberal media fills the airwaves with programs about the NAZI and the '6 million Jews' they murdered."[32] Both Democrats and Republicans criticized Robinson's statements.[31][2]

In October 2023, after Hamas attacked Israel, Robinson said he supported Israel and, when asked about his past antisemitic comments, said. "I've never been antisemitic...There have been some Facebook posts that were poorly worded on my part, did not convey my real sentiments, and I have addressed those issues and moved on from those issues."[34] When asked if he apologized, Robinson said, "I apologize for the word — not necessarily for the content, but we apologize for the wording."[34] Robinson's opponents in the gubernatorial election questioned the sincerity of the apology and called his prior statements hate speech and antisemitism.[3][34]

Other controversial remarks

On his Facebook page, which has more than 100,000 followers, Robinson's posts, which have impugned transgender people, Muslims, former President Barack Obama, and African-Americans who support Democrats, have drawn criticism.[33] Robinson accused people "who support this mass delusion called transgenderism" of seeking "to glorify Satan".[33] Robinson called Obama "a worthless, anti-American atheist"[33] and posted "birther" memes;[26] accused American Muslims of being "INVADERS" who "refuse to assimilate to our ways while demanding respect they have not earned"; called Michelle Obama a man; and disparaged Joy Behar and Maxine Waters in crude terms.[33] After the 2016 Pulse nightclub shooting, Robinson wrote that "Homosexuality is STILL an abominable sin and I WILL NOT join in 'celebrating gay pride.'"[26] In 2020, Robinson asserted that the coronavirus was a "globalist" conspiracy to defeat Donald Trump, and dismissed the threat of the COVID-19 pandemic, writing, "The looming pandemic I'm most worried about is SOCIALISM."[26] In 2022, after U.S. House speaker Nancy Pelosi's husband was violently assaulted at his home, Robinson made light of the attack and posted falsehoods about it.[35]

Over seven years, Robinson used his Facebook page to attack immigrants, members of the LGBT community, Jews, and black people. In a 2013 post, he said that the slogan "white pride" was not racist, writing: "I am TIRED of blacks and mexicans running around shouting about being proud of their race."[36] Robinson later wrote, "Note to liberals; I'll accept "Gay Pride" when you accept "White Pride"."[36] In other posts, Robinson mocked Chinese accents; referred to African Americans using ethnic slurs (including "muddle headed negroes," "apes," and "a monkey").[36] He also promoted various conspiracy theories, including claims that the sexual assault allegations against Bill Cosby were orchestrated by "the Illuminati"; that Ellen DeGeneres was a "top ranking demon ... proudly serving in Satan's army"; and that the 2016 Summer Olympics opening ceremony featured "occult symbols."[36] Referring to abortion, he also wrote that the African-American community "murders its children by the millions."[36]

In a March 2018 podcast, Robinson called the Civil Rights Movement a communist plot to "subvert capitalism" and "to subvert free choice".[37] He has also called Martin Luther King Jr. a "communist" and "ersatz pastor".[38]

In 2020, the Charlotte Observer editorial board described Robinson's posts as "cringeworthy" and "an embarrassment,"[39] while the state Democratic Party called them "homophobic, anti-Semitic, and downright unhinged."[30] Robinson's posts were also criticized by Equality North Carolina and Jewish community leaders in North Carolina.[33][40] Robinson declined to apologize for his posts, saying, "I'm not ashamed of anything that I post."[27][33]

Robinson defended the Kent State massacre of 1970, in which National Guardsmen killed several students at Ohio's Kent State University who were protesting the Vietnam War. After the 2018 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, Robinson mocked the teenage survivors, repeatedly disparaging them in personal terms,[41] calling the Parkland survivors "spoiled, angry, know it all CHILDREN"; "spoiled little bastards"; and "media prosti-tots".[41] He has additionally stated that mass shootings are "karma" for abortion, and has baselessly placed blame for them on gun safety activists, with no evidence to support his statements.[42]

On June 23, 2023, Robinson delivered remarks at a conference hosted by Moms for Liberty in which he encouraged the reading of the writings of several 20th century dictators, stating, "Here’s the thing....Whether you’re talking about Adolf Hitler, whether you’re talking about Chairman Mao, whether you’re talking about Stalin, whether you’re talking about Pol Pot, whether you’re talking about Castro in Cuba, or whether you’re talking about a dozen other despots all around the globe, it is time for us to get back and start reading some of those quotes." The comments sparked another controversy, with media sources expressing concern over whether he may have implied the aforementioned 20th-century dictators were misunderstood or being taken out of context, in addition to the fact that he promoted the reading of their ideas at all.[43][44]

Tenure

Robinson was sworn in on January 9, 2021.[45] During his tenure, Robinson has had a fraught relationship with Democratic Governor Roy Cooper; Robinson described communication between the two as "nonexistent".[46] As lieutenant governor, the constitution prescribes that Robinson serve as acting governor when Cooper leaves the state, although Cooper regularly does not inform Robinson on his departures.[46]

FACTS Task Force

After swearing into office, Robinson began focusing on education issues, particularly with regards to the appropriateness of instructional and reading materials available to children enrolled in schools.[5] On March 26, 2021, he launched the FACTS (Fairness, Accountability in the Classroom for Teachers and Students) Task Force through his office's website. The 12-member task force was to field reports of political bias in instruction in public schools.[47] The task force was later expanded to 15 members.[48] The task force failed to comply with the state open meeting law by maintaining records of its meetings or transactions.[48][49] The lieutenant governor's general counsel argued that the task force was not obligated to do so, as it was not a "public body" and existed only to advise the lieutenant governor's office. The chief attorney of the General Assembly's Legislative Analysis Division disagreed, saying that the board met the criteria under state law for being considered a public body. Further ambiguity surrounded the task force's legal status, as state law did not explicitly authorize or prohibit lieutenant governors from creating their own official boards.[48]

The task force released a report on submitted complaints in late August 2021. Some complaints pertained to allegedly biased lesson plans and instructional materials, while others directly attacked the task force itself as a fishing expedition and a waste of resources.[49] That month, Robinson pushed for the adoption of a bill in the legislature that sought to prevent teachers from compelling students to adhere to 13 specific beliefs, including notions that one race or sex is superior to others.[5]

Anti-gay and transphobic comments

In a June 2021 speech at a Seagrove, North Carolina church, Robinson disparaged "transgenderism and homosexuality" as "filth", saying: "There's no reason anybody anywhere in America should be telling any child about transgenderism, homosexuality, any of that filth. And yes I called it filth. And if you don't like that I called it filth, come see me and I'll explain it to you." In the same speech, he called for an end to the separation of church and state in public schools.[50] In October 2021, after Robinson's speech was brought to light by Right Wing Watch, Democratic state senator Jeff Jackson called for Robinson to resign, and Governor Roy Cooper's office said that "It's abhorrent to hear anyone, and especially an elected official, use hateful rhetoric that hurts people and our state's reputation."[50] North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein made similar comments.[51]

The Biden administration, in a White House Press Office statement, condemned Robinson's words as "repugnant and offensive" and said that a leader's role is "to bring people together and stand up for the dignity and rights of everyone; not to spread hate and undermine their own office."[51] The following month, Robinson said that heterosexual couples are "superior" to gay couples because the latter cannot conceive a child together.[52] Robinson compared homosexuality to cow manure, maggots, and flies, explaining that the latter all serve a purpose in God's creation; whereas, with homosexuality, Robinson remarked, "If homosexuality is of God, what purpose does it serve? What does it make? What does it create? It creates nothing."[53]

On February 3, 2024, Robinson threatened trans women with arrest over bathroom use[54] and suggested that they "find a corner outside somewhere".[55]

2024 campaign for governor

On April 22, 2023, Robinson announced his campaign for the Republican nomination for governor of North Carolina during a speech at Ace Speedway in Altamahaw, North Carolina.[56][57] In 2024, Robinson said he was in support of arresting transgender persons for using a restroom not identified with their birth sex, and he also said that transgender people should "find a corner outside somewhere" if they need to use a public restroom.[58][59][60]

Personal life

Robinson married his wife, Yolanda Hill, in 1990.[61] They had a child in 1990 and another in 1992.[5] They live in High Point, North Carolina.[62] He identifies as an evangelical Christian and has been invited to preach at congregations including Trinity Baptist Church in Mooresville, North Carolina.[63]

In a 2012 social media post, Robinson acknowledged that in 1989, he paid for a woman that he impregnated to get an abortion.[64] In 2022, Robinson said the woman in question was his eventual wife, Yolanda.[65]

Bankruptcies and debts

Robinson had filed for bankruptcy on three occasions:[17][31] in 1998, 1999 and 2003.[31][66] He has also been sued several times for nonpayment of debts.[17] In 2012, Robinson's landlord sued him for failure to pay around $2,000 in rent; the landlord filed for summary ejectment (eviction).[67]

According to court records, Robinson did not pay seven years of federal income tax,[66] and had tax liens placed on him by the Internal Revenue Service as recently as 2012.[17] Robinson said in 2020 that his issues with the IRS had been resolved.[17]

In 2022, Robinson told WRAL in an interview, "I don't have any unpaid taxes."[66] After the television station revealed that Robinson owed several hundred dollars to Guilford County in five delinquent vehicle tax bills (dating from 2006 to 2018), Robinson paid off the tax debt.[66] He said he was unaware that he had unpaid vehicle tax, adding: "I'm not very good at math."[66]

Electoral history

2020 North Carolina Republican Primary lieutenant gubernatorial election[68]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Mark Robinson 240,843 32.52%
Republican Andy Wells 107,824 14.56%
Republican Mark Johnson 89,200 12.04%
Republican John L. Ritter 85,023 11.48%
Republican Renee Ellmers 50,526 6.82%
Republican Greg Gebhardt 50,474 6.81%
Republican Deborah Cochran 48,234 6.51%
Republican Scott Stone 48,193 6.51%
Republican Buddy Bengel 20,395 2.75%
Total votes 740,712 100%
2020 North Carolina lieutenant gubernatorial election[69]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Mark Robinson 2,800,655 51.63%
Democratic Yvonne Lewis Holley 2,623,458 48.37%
Total votes 5,424,113 100%
Republican hold

See also

References

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External links

  • Media related to Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. at Wikimedia Commons
  • Appearances on C-SPAN
Party political offices
Preceded by Republican nominee for Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina
2020		 Most recent
Political offices
Preceded by Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina
2021–present		 Incumbent
  1. ↑ Template:Cite Twitter profile
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 5.7 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  12. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  13. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  14. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  15. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  16. ↑ Moffett, Margaret (April 10, 2018). Video of pro-gun speaker at council meeting goes viral. News and Record.
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 17.3 17.4 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  18. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  19. ↑ Campbell, Colin and Vaughan, Dawn Baumgartner (July 31, 2019). Cooper and Democrats are out-raising GOP opponents. The Charlotte Observer.
  20. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  21. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  22. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  23. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  24. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  25. ↑ 25.0 25.1 25.2 25.3 25.4 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  26. ↑ 26.0 26.1 26.2 26.3 26.4 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  27. ↑ 27.0 27.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  28. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  29. ↑ 29.0 29.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  30. ↑ 30.0 30.1 30.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  31. ↑ 31.0 31.1 31.2 31.3 31.4 31.5 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  32. ↑ 32.0 32.1 32.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  33. ↑ 33.0 33.1 33.2 33.3 33.4 33.5 33.6 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  34. ↑ 34.0 34.1 34.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  35. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  36. ↑ 36.0 36.1 36.2 36.3 36.4 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  37. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  38. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  39. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  40. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  41. ↑ 41.0 41.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  42. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  43. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  44. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  45. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  46. ↑ 46.0 46.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  47. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  48. ↑ 48.0 48.1 48.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  49. ↑ 49.0 49.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  50. ↑ 50.0 50.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  51. ↑ 51.0 51.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  52. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  53. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  54. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  55. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  56. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  57. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  58. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  59. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  60. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  61. ↑ Lt. governor says he paid for wife’s abortion before they were married, WITN March 24, 2022)
  62. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  63. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  64. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  65. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  66. ↑ 66.0 66.1 66.2 66.3 66.4 Bryan Anderson, 'I'm not very good at math.' Lt. Gov. Robinson pays off tax bills dating back to 2006 after WRAL inquiry, WRAL (July 28, 2022).
  67. ↑ Report on NC Lt. Gov. Robinson's past eviction draws fire from governor's race opponent Walker, Carolina Coast Online (August 20, 2023).
  68. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  69. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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