(ThyBlackMan.com) North Carolina’s governor Roy Cooper (D) will be finishing up his second term and by the state’s rules, he can’t run for a third term. Obviously, candidates will come out to throw their hat in the ring. One of those candidates is his lieutenant governor, Republican Mark Robinson.
It’s not unusual for those of us outside of North Carolina to not follow NC politics. Hell, there are those in North Carolina who don’t follow NC politics. However, Robinson is a special case in that he’s similar to former longtime Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio in that he’s a state figure who went national because of his views and a charisma that resonates with many NC conservatives.
The Appeal of Mark Robinson
Now while Republicans don’t corner the market on the Black vote and probably won’t for a while, there are a number of Black conservative personalities and voters. Not only that but those who appear on TV or on online and streaming platforms have a level of charisma that make them of note. I haven’t seen too many who are as interesting as a can of paint: they command attention and know how to hold it. They know how their audience.
That brings us back to Mark Robinson who speaks on many of conservative values but goes further with the rhetoric. By that, I mean there are few lines he won’t cross. Actually, there’s probably no line he won’t only cross but steamroll through. The bad thing about that is that there’s things big, dedicated audience for that flavor of rhetoric and that audience translates into voters.
Robinson has been making waves on Facebook and in the media for a hyper pro-American message that is antisemitic, anti-Muslim, and transphobic while also targeting Democrat-voting Black folks and pushing dated birtherism. He’s like seeing a younger Uncle Ruckus from The Boondocks…only he exists and he’s serious.
He won the Lt. Governor of NC role over Democratic nominee and state representative Yvonne Lewis Harley in 2020 with 51% of the vote to Harley’s 48%. Now he has his eyes on the role of governor. However, with any lofty goal there are some hurdles.
The Republican Pool of Candidates Both Declared and Expected
Before diving into his potential opponents in the Republican primary, it’s important to note that most of the candidates have something that points to them not speaking for all North Carolina residents and even speaking against some. You have Dale Folwell who pulled funding for gender dysphoria treatment for state employees which was seen as an affront to the state’s LGBTQ community. Like most of the other Republican candidates he also opposed COVID-19 prevention measures—then ended up catching COVID. No surprise there.
Then there’s state House Speaker Tim Moore who supported a bathroom ban for transgender North Carolinians. In the past he was also against same-sex marriage and has opposed gun control in the state—following the 2018 Parkland massacre. The persistent baggage he has are some ethics issues where it comes.
Former U.S representative Mark Walker lost his seat in 2020, voted on the losing side of both the return of the Violence Against Women Act and amending the Act in 2019, and basically alienated Catholics in the Congressional Prayer Caucus and those of Mexican descent—separately. He also spoke out against Trump’s statements about women during the former president’s 2016 run but months later he tweeted some sideways statements calling Republican women in Congress “eye candy.” It’s a hodge-podge of stuff. A plus is that Walker encouraged and worked towards prison reform.
Of course, you have Robinson himself and the groups he’s targeted. There’s also the recently resurfaced 2021 speech where he declared that Black people owe reparations which is just…an oof and a half. Pandering is something that happens in politics—its to be expected—but this is something where you have to really think about the audience you’re pandering to and at what cost. It’s not something that is just going to have Black people showing up in droves to vote for someone…but then again, that’s obviously not a speech for Black people.
One of the two least problematic candidates are Agriculture and Consumer Commissioner Steve Troxler who hasn’t really said or pushed anything too out there to where it becomes national news. Mind you, his position doesn’t really warrant him to speak too loudly or too hard on social issues and policy. Troxler has mostly kept it to his job, a role he’s held since 2005. Because of this no drama-low drama perception, Troxler is pretty much the least troubling person in the pool.
Finally—as of this article’s posting—there’s U.S Senator Thom Tillis who has ridden with the party on several issues but has also pushed back on several fronts. Has he voted alongside the party and former president Trump most of the time? Of course. However, there were times where he expressed opposition to the decisions.
Despite being caught without his mask and eventually catching COVID-19, he pushed back against the messaging around migrants spreading the disease in NC. Tillis has made some questionable voting decisions but there were also some decisions that pointed to actual thought on the issue balanced with his political views.
Mark Robinson’s Chances at the Republican Nomination
That’s the pool as it stands in early May 2023 and honestly, it’s a rough-and-tumble field. Robinson’s base views are in line with many of those in office at the state and U.S level as well as his constituents. His trafficking in and different -phobias and -isms while being loud with it adds some razzle-dazzle to make himself stand out more. It’s not unusual for the loudest and rowdiest to rise to the top after all.
His current opponents seem to be more measured in their statements for the most part. Sure, some of their views and voting records are questionable in relation to the liberty of their fellow North Carolina residents across the board but there are other residents who obviously don’t mind. Hell, they might even encourage it.
Robinson’s chances of winning will depend on what flavor of Republican the people want and if anyone drops out. Tillis and Walker are money magnets and will likely have the funds to keep going until the wheels fall off of their campaigns. I see them as the two biggest threats to Robinson’s run.
If he can connect enough with voters, Robinson will be able to take the nomination. However, the vote isn’t a solid block. Different issues vary in importance from district to district and voter to voter. Some might find gun control to be more concerning than immigration. Others might put more importance on restricting abortion than government spending.
Robinson simply has to know what hits with his base and see if his messaging can win others over to his side. Flexibility in his message depends on what Republicans he’s speaking to in different locations. If he can achieve that he might just take the nomination but his opponents will likely use a similar strategy.
Do you see Mark Robinson taking his party’s nomination? Also for our North Carolina readers: what do you think of Robinson from what you’ve seen and experienced in the state? Let us know down below.
Staff Writer; James Swift, Jr.
Gaming since 1989 and headbanging since 1999, James enjoys comics, RPGs, wrestling, and all things old school and retro. Check out his writing here AfroGamers and The Black Rock and Heavy Metal. You can also find him on Twitter at; metalswift and soon on Kick where he will stream mobile titles.
One can also contact this brother at; JSwift@ThyBlackMan.com.
