North Carolina

Could Mark Robinson cost Donald Trump North Carolina? Experts weigh in

Published

2 months ago

September 24, 2024

Could Mark Robinson cost Donald Trump North Carolina? Experts weigh in

North Carolina’s 2024 gubernatorial race took a dramatic turn last week when the campaign of controversial Lieutenant Governor Mark Robinson was hit by a new scandal.

CNN reported allegations of racist and sexist posts Robinson allegedly made on a pornography forum, raising questions of whether Robinson’s troubles could extend beyond his own race and hurt former President Donald Trump’s bid for North Carolina.

The CNN report covered posts made on the forum by a user with a username tied to Robinson. The user made posts about enjoying transgender pornography (Robinson has publicly called transgender people “filth”), about desiring to own slaves, and in one post, the user described themself as a “Black Nazi.”

Mark Robinson at a GOP convention in Greensboro, North Carolina, on May 26, 2024. Political analysts are split on the impact Robinson’s latest scandal will have on Trump’s prospects in the state.

Woody Marshall/News & Record via AP

But could Robinson’s scandal cost Trump the critical state of North Carolina?

Newsweek contacted several North Carolina-based political analysts, who are split on the impact Robinson’s troubles will have on Trump’s 2024 prospects in the state.

Robinson, the GOP’s nominee for governor, has denied the allegations, calling them “salacious tabloid lies.” Nevertheless, the damage may already be done and many of his top staffers have since resigned.

Robinson, who Trump has previously endorsed and described as “like Martin Luther King on steroids” was notably absent from Trump’s rally in Wilmington last Saturday, a sign that the Trump campaign may be distancing itself from his increasingly embattled gubernatorial candidate.

Trump won North Carolina in both the 2016 and 2020 elections, albeit narrowly, and the latest polling aggregates show him just half a percentage point ahead of Vice President Kamala Harris in the state.

Impact on Trump Uncertain

Mitch Kokai, a political analyst at the John Locke Foundation, a conservative think tank, downplayed the idea that Robinson’s scandal would hurt Trump, telling Newsweek: “I doubt that Mark Robinson’s latest controversy will have much of an impact on Donald Trump at the top of the ticket. The former president has won North Carolina’s electoral votes twice, despite all of his own electoral baggage,” Kokai said.

He noted that Trump has been maintaining a lead in North Carolina polls, even as Robinson has fallen further behind Democratic rival Josh Stein in recent months.

Kokai added that Trump’s unique political brand, combined with his focus on issues like the economy and border security, is likely to insulate him from any fallout related to Robinson.

“Trump is likely to continue to hammer away at the same themes… It’s unclear whether that strategy will get him North Carolina’s 16 electoral votes, but it’s more likely to have an impact on the presidential race than Mark Robinson’s current predicament.”

Ticket-Splitting Tradition in North Carolina

David B. McLennan, a political science professor and pollster at Meredith University, offered a similar assessment, telling Newsweek that while Trump has consistently outpolled Robinson, the presidential race in North Carolina remains tight.

“Mark Robinson has always run behind Donald Trump in terms of voter preferences in polls,” McLennan said, adding that the margin widened in recent months.

He suggests that Trump may be “somewhat inoculated” from Robinson’s problems, though McLennan warned that in a margin-of-error race, even a slight dip in Trump’s numbers could be pivotal. “The loss of a few percentage points by Trump could matter.”

North Carolina has a history of ticket-splitting, with voters supporting candidates from different parties for state and national offices.

In the past two election cycles, voters backed Trump for president while re-electing Democratic Governor Roy Cooper.

McLennan predicted this trend to continue in 2024, with Trump running competitively against Harris, even if Robinson falters.

Robinson Could Damage GOP Brand

Chris Cooper, a professor of political science at Western Carolina University, agreed that ticket-splitting could be a saving grace for Trump.

However, he cautioned that Robinson’s scandal could still harm Trump if it dampens Republican enthusiasm.

“The bigger problem for Trump is if Robinson does damage the party brand enough that infrequent voters who lean Republican tend to stay home,” Cooper told Newsweek.

He said that, before the latest scandal, 8 percent to 12 percent of Trump voters were already planning to vote for Josh Stein over Robinson.

If that number grows, it could signal that Robinson’s candidacy is harming the party, though not necessarily Trump himself.

However, Cooper noted that predicting voter turnout, especially among occasional voters, is notoriously difficult. “Unfortunately for those who like to play the prediction game, that will be difficult, if not impossible to know until election day,” he added.

Demographic Shifts Could Play a Role

The changing demographics of North Carolina may also factor into how much Robinson’s scandal affects the GOP’s chances.

Susan Roberts, a political science professor at Davidson College, told Newsweek that many North Carolinians weren’t born in the state, and the influx of younger professionals could influence voter behavior.

“The demographic profile of North Carolinians is changing,” Roberts said, noting that many of these voters are unaffiliated and could be swayed by Robinson’s controversial views.

While Roberts did not believe Robinson’s troubles will drastically change minds about Trump, she suggested that some voters might skip the gubernatorial race while still casting a vote for president.

“I don’t think Robinson can necessarily pull Trump down,” she said, but acknowledged that unaffiliated voters might start to associate Trump with Robinson’s inflammatory rhetoric.

The Final Verdict? Unclear

For now, experts agree that Trump’s prospects in North Carolina are not entirely tied to Robinson’s fate.

While the scandal may have thrown Robinson’s campaign into turmoil, the real test will be whether it depresses turnout among Republican-leaning voters in a state Trump is likely to need to retake the White House.

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North Carolina

People gather for NC Museum of History's annual American Indian Heritage Celebration in Raleigh

Published

2 hours ago

November 24, 2024

Press Room

People gather for NC Museum of History's annual American Indian Heritage Celebration in Raleigh

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) — November is Native American Heritage Month, and it’s a time to celebrate the traditions and cultures of the many Native American communities across North Carolina.

On Friday and Saturday, the North Carolina Museum of History held its annual American Indian Heritage Celebration. People learned about Native American history through live performances, food, art, storytelling and more.

Since the history museum is closed for renovation, the celebration was held at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences.

“Our songs, our dances, our stories, our language–it’s all medicine to us,” Community Programs Coordinator of NC Museum of History Kaya Littleturtle said at last year’s celebration. “Medicine is anything that makes you well be it physical, spiritual, emotional, all those things are medicine. We hope is that people come out here and they learn about those things, to help uplift us as a people. We hope that it inspires them to go get engaged with things to help uplift them as a people.

This was the 29th year of the celebration.

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North Carolina

Eli Pancol helps Duke football beat Virginia Tech, keep spot as North Carolina’s top team

Published

10 hours ago

November 24, 2024

Press Room

Eli Pancol helps Duke football beat Virginia Tech, keep spot as North Carolina’s top team

Duke hasn’t played pretty football at times, but the Blue Devils have consistently proven to be the top team in North Carolina.

After beating UNC (6-5, 3-4) and N.C. State (5-6, 2-5) earlier this year, Duke (8-3, 4-3 ACC) will go for the Tobacco Road sweep in the regular-season finale at Wake Forest (4-7, 2-5) on Nov. 30 (Noon, ACC Network).

Because of their consistently dominant defense and the ability to handle in-game adversity, the Blue Devils are in position to win double-digit games for just the second time in program history.

That’s quite a debut for first-year coach Manny Diaz, who has helped the Blue Devils win five of their six one-score games this season, including a 31-28 victory against Virginia Tech on Saturday in the home finale at Wallace Wade Stadium.

Duke report card vs Virginia Tech

Here’s what and who stood out on senior night in Duke’s eighth win of the 2024 college football season.

Duke wide receiver Eli Pancol caps comeback with special finale at Wallace Wade Stadium

Eli Pancol, Duke’s sixth-year wide receiver who missed the 2023 season with an injury, capped his comeback with an incredible performance in the final home game of his career.

Eli Pancol’s incredible comeback story

Finishing with five catches for 188 yards and three touchdowns, Pancol did most of that damage on two of the first four plays when he had an 86-yard catch-and-run touchdown, followed by a 77-yard catch-and-run TD. In his final two games at Wallace Wade Stadium, Pancol combined for 16 catches for 326 yards and four touchdowns.

Ozzie Nicholas, Cam Bergeron, Kendy Charles shine for Duke football defense

Pancol wasn’t the only senior to shine Saturday night against the Hokies. Duke’s top three tacklers were seniors, combining for 31 tackles, including three for loss. Princeton graduate transfer Ozzie Nicholas, Duke’s leading tackler, led the way again with 11 tackles. Fellow linebacker Cam Bergeron and defensive tackle Kendy Charles each had 10 tackles.

Overall, Duke had 14 tackles for loss, including eight sacks. The Blue Devils have consistently been among the top five teams in the nation at creating havoc for offenses as a steady presence in the backfield. It’s the main reason Duke is in position to reach 10 wins this season.

Manny Diaz keeps proving he was right hire for Blue Devils

Duke has won 10 games once since 1922, getting it done in 2013 under former coach David Cutcliffe, who helped resurrect a struggling program. Following Cutcliffe’s departure, Mike Elko won nine games in his first season and eight in his second before bolting to Texas A&M.

After a successful stint as a defensive coordinator at Penn State, Diaz got a second head-coaching opportunity when Duke hired him in December 2023. In three seasons as the head coach at Miami, Diaz had one year with eight wins. He accomplished that in his debut year at Duke, putting the program in position to join an exclusive club if the Devils can win their final two games.

Rodd Baxley covers Duke, North Carolina and N.C. State for The Fayetteville Observer as part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow his ACC coverage on X/Twitter or Bluesky: @RoddBaxley. Got questions regarding those teams? Send them to rbaxley@fayobserver.com.

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Live Updates: Ball State vs No. 16 North Carolina At Battle 4 Atlantis 2024 – FloHoops

Published

19 hours ago

November 23, 2024

Press Room

Live Updates: Ball State vs No. 16 North Carolina At Battle 4 Atlantis 2024 – FloHoops

No. 16 North Carolina and MAC favorite Ball State face-off in the Bahamas for a special one to kick off two weeks full of holiday college basketball tournaments coming live to FloHoops. The game begins at 6:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, Nov. 23 and is the second of many in the 2024 Battle 4 Atlantis Women’s College Basketball tournament.

The Paradise Island, Bahamas-based tournament hosts eight teams including No. 18 Baylor, Indiana, and Texas A&M.

No. 16 North Carolina is 3-1, coming off of a close loss a week ago to No. 2 UConn, falling 58-69 to the Huskies. They hold wins this season against NC A&T, UNC-Wilmington, and Charleston Southern.

Currently undefeated, Ball State will be hoping to upset North Carolina to add an important win to their resume en route to a potential at-large bid to the NCAA tournament at the end of the season. They have defeated Northern Iowa, IUPUI, Memphis, and Old Dominion so far this season.

Read the live updates, watch highlights and view scores after the game tips off at 6:30 p.m. ET.

Live Updates: Ball State vs No. 16 North Carolina Score At Battle 4 Atlantis

Refresh the page for live updates, highlights and scores from today’s game in the Bahamas. Tip off is at 6:30 p.m. ET.

While You Wait…LIVE NOW: Watch Columbia vs Indiana

Click here to tune in live to more women’s college basketball live on FloHoops.

we’ve got a 3️⃣ point game y’all 👏@CULionsWBB | #Battle4Atlantis | @B4AOfficial pic.twitter.com/9Rg0GzJtl6
— FloCollege | Basketball (@FloCollegeHoops) November 23, 2024
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Earlier Today On FloHoops: Baylor Puts Up 15 Threes, Hits Triple Digits vs Southern Miss

After four great quarters of basketball between Southern Miss and Baylor—the Lady Bears come out on top of game one of the Battle 4 Atlantis Women’s tournament.

Five Baylor players had more than 14 points today against the Lady Eagles and were 44% (15-34) from behind the three-point line, making that the most threes for them this season. Fontleroy and Andrews both tallied four.

For Southern Miss, Grayson and Evans led the points with 12, despite Grayson fouling out.

Despite their quick start, the Eagles were unable to keep up with Baylor and will be looking for redemption against the loser of Columbia vs Indiana. Baylor will play the winner.

Read the full game recap.

Battle 4 Atlantis Women’s Tournament Schedule

Saturday, November 23

Sunday, November 24

Monday, November 25

Battle 4 Atlantis Women’s Bracket

Battle 4 Atlantis 2024 Women’s Teams

How To Watch The Battle 4 Atlantis 2024 Women’s Tournament

Every game except the championship of the Women’s Battle 4 Atlantis will be streaming on FloHoops, FloCollege and the new FloSports streaming app.

Game replays, highlights and more will be available on all platforms.

How To Watch College Basketball On The FloSports Network

Basketball games are streaming all year long on FloHoops, FloCollege and the new FloSports streaming app. Game replays, highlights and more will be available on all platforms.

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