In a recent development, Georgia Senator Raphael Warnock has labeled Mark Robinson, the Republican nominee for Governor in North Carolina, as "white supremacy in blackface."
This comment comes in the wake of a CNN report that revealed Robinson's unsettling posts on a pornography website's message board over a decade ago.
According to Newsweek, the CNN report, which was published last Thursday, disclosed posts allegedly made by Robinson on the message board. In these posts, Robinson reportedly referred to himself as a "black NAZI" and disparaged the late Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., calling him a "commie bastard" and "worse than a maggot." The report further suggested that Robinson, who currently serves as North Carolina's lieutenant governor and could potentially become the state's first Black governor, had expressed support for the reinstatement of slavery.
Robinson, however, has vehemently denied the allegations made in the CNN report, asserting that the posts were not his. He has also pledged to remain in the gubernatorial race. His campaign communications director has attributed the report to Robinson's Democratic opponent, Josh Stein, stating that everything Stein and the Democrats say about Robinson "is either an outright lie or twisted so far out of context it might as well be."
In a recent appearance on MSNBC, Warnock, a Democrat and pastor of the Atlanta church where King preached, stated that Robinson is the "antithesis of everything" that King represented. "I can tell you, as the pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church where Martin Luther King Jr. served, that Mark Robinson is no Martin Luther King Jr," Warnock declared. "He is the antithesis of everything that Dr. King represented. He is white supremacy in blackface as he talks about his desire to bring slavery back. I mean, this talk is way beyond the pale..."
Warnock also emphasized the significance of North Carolina voters being aware that Robinson has received an endorsement from former president Donald Trump. "I think that the people of North Carolina need to take note of the fact that this is Donald Trump's candidate," he said. "This is who he keeps pushing and encouraging. This is who he thinks should represent them."
Trump, who has previously praised Robinson, referring to him as "Martin Luther King on steroids," did not mention Robinson during a recent rally in North Carolina. Following the publication of CNN's report, the Trump campaign issued a statement that did not name Robinson but stated that Trump "is focused on winning the White House and saving this country" and that battleground North Carolina is "a vital part of that plan."
On MSNBC, Warnock criticized Trump's endorsement of Robinson, stating that it was not the first time that Trump has supported a Black candidate "who is unfit and unqualified to serve with the cynical notion that somehow the electorate will be confused about who this person represents." He was referring to Trump's backing of his Republican opponent, Herschel Walker, in his 2022 Senate race.
"The people of North Carolina deserve better," Warnock asserted. "They've got real issues that they're trying to address, and they're going to see through Mark Robinson, just in the same way that the people of Georgia saw through my opponent."
Martin Luther King III, the son of the late civil rights leader, also expressed his disapproval of Robinson, stating that his "praise for slavery, disparaging rhetoric, and grotesque characterization of my dad and his legacy are deeply worrisome for North Carolinians and all Americans who oppose racism and bigotry."
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