After a leak of usernames and email addresses in 2017, CNN alleges that they were able to confirm Robinson’s nefarious presence on social media. Baseless claims like these can manipulate voters to circumstantially change their political stance.
Mark Robinson, Repbulican candidate for North Carolina governor and Republican party presidential nominee Donald Trump’s endorsee, has come under fire after CNN reported alleged transphobic and racist remarks from various social media accounts including, but not limited to, a pornographic website called “Nude Africa.”
Robinson claims that he is not behind these social media accounts that have allegedly made aggressive remarks on race, transgender individuals and Martin Luther King Jr. The allegations have caused resignations from Robinson’s key staffers amid campaign spending of $15.9 million on television and online advertising in the North Carolina general election race.
If these allegations prove to be true, Robinson’s political opponent Josh Stein can leverage off of what Robinson calls “tabloid trash.”
Robinson was allegedly using the name ‘minisoldr,’ to post racist claims against Black, Jewish, Mexican-American and Muslim populations.
“If I was in the KKK I would have called him Martin Lucifer Koon!” minisoldr said in one of the comments.
“Some people need to be slaves. I wish they would bring it back. I would certainly buy a few,” another comment said.
The claims by CNN caused Robinson to see a decline in public support, giving way to Stein’s 13-point lead, according to polls conducted by FiveThirtyEight.
It is also important to keep in mind that although CNN has reported that these posts come from an unknown source that shares similarities to Mark Robinson, there is no concrete proof.
If Robinson is able to successfully falsify these reports, he will win by a landslide, but if he fails to do so, many North Carolina voters are likely to vote for Stein. Information such as Robinson’s 18-year marriage, his location and his birthdate has been used to link Robinson to social media profiles.
Although these claims are synonymous to Robinson’s rhetoric on pro-life, standing firm in his support for banning abortion when a heartbeat is detected and homophobic statements, one should keep in mind the integrity of right-wing activists. GOP officials are anxious that Robinson’s situation could affect Trump’s support in the state and instead, help Democratic party presidential nominee Kamala Harris.