Less than 24 hours after CNN published a bombshell report on comments that it said Mark Robinson, the Republican candidate for governor of North Carolina, made on a pornographic website, the Democratic National Committee unveiled new advertisements linking him to former President Donald Trump.
The DNC plans to launch a new digital advertisement and nearly a dozen billboards highlighting how Trump has praised Robinson, who is North Carolina’s lieutenant governor, according to a source familiar with the matter and a news release by DNC regional press secretary Kenny Palmer. NBC News was the first to report the new ad push.
By linking Trump to Robinson, Democrats hope to cut into Trump’s support in the state, which a Democratic presidential candidate has not won since 2008.
North Carolina could prove decisive in a close presidential race, and Sen. JD Vance of Ohio, Trump’s running mate, said himself that it would be “very hard” for his ticket to win in November if Democrats flip North Carolina.
The DNC’s advertisements will launch Friday. The digital advertisements will target North Carolina voters on YouTube and Facebook, the source said, while Palmer said in the news release that billboards will be plastered in cities across the battleground state.
The source familiar with the matter said television advertisements aiming to link Trump with Robinson are “definitely on the table.” Nothing is locked in, the source added.
The billboard’s design features a picture of Trump and Robinson posing together, along with quotes Trump has said about Robinson, such as “we have to cherish Mark” and that Robinson is “outstanding” and an “incredible gentleman.”
The digital advertisements echo similar sentiments, the source said.
The Trump campaign did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Democrats’ attempt to link the two men through advertisements. A Robinson campaign spokesperson, Mike Lonergan, responded to NBC News’ inquiry with a release that included links to a video of Robinson denying the CNN report and several news articles about his opponent in the governor’s race, state Attorney General Josh Stein, which it used to criticize Stein and several of his claims about Robinson during the campaign.
The story CNN published Thursday detailed a series of racist and antisemitic comments it says Robinson made on a pornography website message board. Robinson called the allegations “tabloid trash” in a video posted before the story’s publication.
CNN reported that Robinson’s comments were made from 2008 to 2012 and that they included statements declaring himself to be a “black NAZI,” asserting that “slavery is not bad” and adding that he wishes “they would bring it back.”
Robinson also said that if he were in the Ku Klux Klan, he would have referred to Martin Luther King Jr. using a racial slur, CNN reported. In March, Trump called Robinson “Martin Luther King on steroids.”
“I told that to Mark. I said, ‘I think you’re better than Martin Luther King. I think you are Martin Luther King times two,’” Trump said at a rally in Greensboro at which he endorsed Robinson for governor.
Robinson was elected lieutenant governor in 2020 and has vowed to stay in the race for governor.
Trump has heaped praise on Robinson, calling him “outstanding” and “one of the hottest politicians.” He said Robinson has “become a friend of mine.” Robinson also spoke at this summer’s Republican National Convention.
DNC Chair Jaime Harrison said in a statement: “Donald Trump and Mark Robinson are two MAGA extremists cut from the same cloth. Both are anti-choice radicals, election deniers, and have a long and disturbing history of spewing hate. Make no mistake: Trump has embraced and tied himself to Robinson at every turn. “
A Trump campaign spokesperson issued a statement after the story broke, though it did not mention Robinson or the comments CNN alleged.
“President Trump’s campaign is focused on winning the White House and saving this country. North Carolina is an vital part of that plan,” spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said in the statement. “We are confident that as voters compare the Trump record of a strong economy, low inflation, a secure border, and safe streets, with the failures of Biden-Harris, then President Trump will win the Tarheel State once again. We will not take our eye off the ball.”
The Harris campaign’s X account posted more than half a dozen times in the hours after the CNN story broke, linking Trump and Robinson. The posts included clips of Trump praising Robinson at rallies and shaking his hand and of them posing for pictures together.
Trump narrowly won North Carolina in 2020, securing 49.9% of the vote to Joe Biden’s 48.6%. Democrats have zeroed in on North Carolina as a possible state to flip in November, which would give the Harris campaign 16 electors, which could prove decisive.
The state “was competitive before, and Republican extremism is front and center in this state — from Trump to Robinson to down-ballot candidates,” DNC spokesperson Abhi Rahman said in a text message.
Democrats have funneled millions of dollars in advertisement spending to the state, and Harris has made multiple stops in the state for rallies this month. Two Harris rallies in North Carolina last week drew about 25,000 spectators combined.
A Quinnipiac University poll conducted this month indicated that Harris had the support of 49% of likely voters, while Trump had support from 46%. The results were within the poll’s margin of error, 3.2 percentage points.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
