WILMINGTON, North Carolina (AP) — Donald Trump returns to North Carolina on Saturday, campaigning in the key southern state that Democrats and Republicans alike increasingly see as critical to victory in November.
But Trump will campaign in Wilmington, on the state’s southern coast, without the lieutenant governor. Mark Robinsonthe Republican candidate for governor and one of the former president’s leading representatives in the state, following a CNN report about his alleged posts on a pornography website’s forum. Two people familiar with the matter, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Friday that Robinson was not expected to attend the Wilmington event.
Robinson has denied writing the messages, which contain obscene and racist comments, saying Thursday that he would not be coerced into dropping out of the race by “salacious tabloid lies.” Trump’s campaign appeared to distance itself from Robinson following the CNN report, which the AP has not independently verified, saying in a statement to the AP that Trump is “focused on winning the White House and saving this country” and calling North Carolina a “vital part of that plan,” without mentioning Robinson.
Although Robinson won the Republican primary for governor in March, he has trailed the Democratic nominee in several recent polls. Josh Steinthe state attorney general. Republican officials in the state have backed Robinson, whose decision to continue campaigning could threaten the GOP’s prospects in other key races, including Trump’s efforts in a swing state he has already won twice.
Democrats seized the opportunity to highlight Trump’s ties to Robinson, with billboards showing the two together, as well as a new ad from the vice president. Kamala Harris ” campaign highlighting the Republican candidates’ ties as well as Robinson’s support for a statewide abortion ban without exceptions. According to the Harris campaign, this is their first ad campaign tied to Trump’s association with a secret ballot race.
A Republican has won North Carolina in every general election since 1976 except one, when Barack Obama won the state in 2008. Trump won there in his previous two campaigns, but by less than 1.5 percentage points against Democrat Joe Biden in 2020, the narrowest margin of any state Trump has won. That’s part of why Democrats see the state as winnable this fall.
With no Senate seats at stake, the gubernatorial race has been North Carolina’s key election this year. Robinson has become a natural spokesman for Trump in the state and a frequent presence at campaign events, appearing alongside the candidate last month at an event in Asheboro. Trump has long praised Robinson, who is black, calling him “Martin Luther King on steroids.”
Endorsing Robinson ahead of the Republican gubernatorial primary, Trump continued: “I think you’re better than Martin Luther King. I think you’re Martin Luther King times two.”
As more presidential candidates head to the Rust Belt battlegrounds of Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, Harris and Trump both have made several trips in North Carolina, underscoring the state’s importance. After Biden left the race in July, Trump held its first large-scale gathering there, turning all his attention to Harris.
Wilmington is home to New Hanover County, which Biden won in 2020. But his lead over Trump in the county was among the smallest in the state. ___
Meg Kinnard reported from Chapin, South Carolina, and can be reached at http://x.com/MegKinnardAPAssociated Press writer Michelle L. Price in New York contributed to this report.
