Gov. Roy Cooper said Wednesday that he believed Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson’s presence on the ballot could hurt former President Donald Trump’s chances of winning the battleground state this November.
“There’s some down-ballot things going on – some guy running for governor on the Republican side who’s made a little news,” Cooper said during an interview at The New York Times’ Climate Forward conference.
“And we think there can be a bottom-up effect here. Because Donald Trump makes guys like Mark Robinson, supports them, encourages them, still hasn’t condemned him in any way.”
A CNN investigation last week found a history of explicit sexual and racial comments posted online by an account tied to Robinson. The lieutenant governor has denied that he made the comments and hired an attorney; meanwhile, staff have left his campaign and Republicans have distanced themselves from Robinson politically and financially. When Astead Herndon, the Times reporter and podcast host interviewing Cooper, remarked that he wouldn’t repeat the comments found by CNN, Cooper joked that “you’d get a call from the FCC.”
“(Trump) needs to suffer the consequences of creating and supporting people like Mark Robinson, as does every Republican leader in North Carolina who supported and endorsed it,” Cooper added.
It remains to be seen how the governor’s race could impact what’s expected to be a razor-thin race for president in North Carolina. Recent polls have shown Attorney General Josh Stein, a Democrat, leading by double digits over Robinson. Presidential polls, meanwhile, show the state as an effective toss-up at the moment.
Robinson, previously a sure bet to speak ahead of Trump at North Carolina rallies, no longer appears at events with him or his vice presidential nominee, U.S. Sen. JD Vance.
Democrats have placed 12 additional billboards in cities across the state this week highlighting Trump’s strong words endorsing Robinson, even as the lieutenant governor has lost key Republican endorsements.
The governor’s trip to New York City also marked the first time since the new revelations that he has ceded temporary control of the state to Robinson. Under North Carolina law, the lieutenant governor serves as acting governor when the chief executive is out of the state.
Cooper has focused heavily on clean energy spending and investment in recent years. That spending was the focus of his interview Thursday, during which he explained how he sought to navigate Republican majorities and opposition to — or outright denial of — climate change.
It has been key to pitch clean energy spending as an economic boon, Cooper said, and tout the industry’s ability to create long-term jobs and revenue.
“There’s always a see-saw in electoral politics that’s partisan,” he said. “You want to make sure the investments you’re making in energy can survive a blue wave or a red wave.”
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