Embattled Republican North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson — whose gubernatorial bid has been rattled by allegations that he previously posted racist and sexually explicit comments online — was hospitalized with burns Friday, his campaign said.
Mike Lonergan, a campaign spokesperson, said in a statement late Friday night that the 56-year-old Robinson suffered second-degree burns during an “incident at a campaign appearance at the Mayberry Truck Show in Mt. Airy,” a city located near the border of North Carolina and Virginia.
Robinson received treatment at the Northern Regional Hospital in Mt. Airy and was in “good spirits,” Lonergan said, adding that he was expected to resume campaigning Saturday morning.
No further details were provided on his condition or the circumstances that prompted the injury.
This all follows a bombshell CNN report last week which found that Robinson posted inappropriate comments to the message board of a pornographic website between 2008 and 2012, often under the name of “black NAZI.”
Since the report’s publication on Sept. 19, Robinson has seen several campaign staffers resign, including his campaign manager, general consultant and senior adviser, finance director, and deputy campaign manager. He has also appeared to lose support among Republican leadership.
Robinson did not appear with former President Donald Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, in the two North Carolina rallies Trump has held since the CNN report. And when asked Thursday by reporters if he would pull his endorsement of Robinson, Trump responded, “I don’t know the situation.”
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, when asked Tuesday if Republicans should halt support for Robinson’s campaign, responded, “It won’t surprise to you know I’m happy that there’s not a Senate race in North Carolina.”
Robinson, however, has so far vowed to stay in the race.
“This is an election about policies, not personalities,” he wrote on social media Wednesday. “Now is not the time for intra-party squabbling and nonsense.”
Kaia Hubbard and
Kathryn Watson
contributed to this report.
