Four top staff members on Mark Robinson’s campaign team have resigned from their roles, the campaign announced Sunday, three days after the embattled Republican candidate for North Carolina governor denied making years-old salacious posts on a pornographic website.
Conrad Pogorzelski III, Robinson’s general consultant and senior adviser; campaign manager Chris Rodriguez; finance director Heather Whillier; and deputy campaign manager Jason Rizk all stepped down just weeks before the election, according to a press release from Robinson’s campaign.
Robinson, who vowed on Thursday not to exit the race, remained defiant. In a statement, the current North Carolina lieutenant governor said polls have “consistently underestimated Republican support” in the state and he believes a “large portion of the electorate” is still undecided. The press release stated “an announcement of new incoming staff members will be forthcoming from the campaign soon.”
Absentee ballots are set to go out widely this week to voters who requested them, and they were already sent to military and overseas voters on Friday.
Polling in recent weeks has shown Robinson down by more than a dozen points in some cases, trailing Democrat Josh Stein, the state’s attorney general, for the seat currently held by Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper.
Republican officials in the state believe Robinson’s chances of winning the seat are now nearly nonexistent. On Thursday, news reports broke about his past online activities, including making posts on the pornographic website “Nude Africa” that he enjoys “watching tranny on girl porn” and that he was a “black Nazi,” among other comments, and having an account registered on Ashley Madison, a website for married people seeking affairs. He denied making those posts or signing up for the website.
“I appreciate the efforts of these team members who have made the difficult choice to step away from the campaign, and I wish them well in their future endeavors,” Robinson said in the statement.
He said his campaign “will continue to focus on the substantive issues at stake in this election,” such as the economy, crime and “removing politics out of our classrooms.”
Robinson, who had canceled all campaign events since Thursday, is due to appear in the western part of North Carolina on Monday, according to his website. In his statement, Robinson said the campaign will “continue to ramp up our efforts across the state.”
Spending on Robinson’s behalf has nearly dried up. Stein’s campaign has reserved more than $13 million in television ads through Election Day, while a super PAC affiliated with the Republican Governors Association has just $397,000 booked for Robinson, according to AdImpact. The RGA has declined to respond to requests for comment about whether the group will continue to support Robinson.
The contest in North Carolina is considered the biggest gubernatorial race of the year.
Former President Donald Trump on Saturday declined to mention Robinson when he campaigned in the state, holding a rally in Wilmington. Trump’s campaign on Sunday did not immediately respond to a request for comment about whether he still supports Robinson, whom he endorsed in the Republican primary.
