North Carolina
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.”
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.
RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) — A graduation ceremony for NC State University’s Department of Biological Sciences at Reynolds Coliseum on Friday night left hundreds of family members outside, frustrated and emotional after they were not allowed into the building.
Inside, graduates were met with pomp and circumstance as they walked across the stage to accept their degrees.
Outside, people shouted in confusion as they realized they would not be permitted to enter.
“I’m hurt. She’s hurting. We’re hurt,” said Dr. Darlene Jackson, a grandmother from Winston-Salem. “They’re asking, can’t we get here? But this is ridiculous. Ridiculous.”
We get here, and we are turned away. That’s BS. It shouldn’t be happening like this. They did not plan this well,
– Sally Charlet, NCSU grandparent
Families said they arrived about an hour before the 7:30 p.m. ceremony, only to find a line wrapped around the building. Many said they were eventually told the venue had reached capacity.
“They are saying the fire marshal shut it down because it’s too crowded,” Jackson said. “They should have known how many occupy this. They should have had it in a different place.”
Sally Charlet said she flew in from Florida earlier in the day to watch her granddaughter graduate.
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“We get here, and we are turned away,” she said. “That’s BS. It shouldn’t be happening like this. They did not plan this well, and they should have tickets. That would have made a lot of sense.”
According to GoPack.com, Reynolds Coliseum seats about 5,500 people.
Some families said they were especially devastated after years of supporting their students’ work.
This is awful, and it needs to be made right.
– Eddie McFall, NCSU parent
“It’s very disheartening,” said Rhonda Bartone, whose son earned his Ph.D. In toxicology. “He did a five-year program getting his Ph.D., and we have no family. And they’re seeing him get his Ph.D. right now. We had to text his professor and ask him to please take some pictures of him. It’s hard not to cry.”
Several people outside shared photos sent by students inside showing empty seats.
“There was unfortunately not better planning for the hundreds of students, maybe even thousands of students, and, of course, thousands of students, even more people, parents, siblings, loved ones,” said Julia Norton, whose fiancé earned his Ph.D.
One father, Eddie McFall, who is also an alumnus of NC State, said he has three children at the university, including a senior graduating Friday.
“His mother was five feet from the door when they shut it down,” he said. “Won’t let anybody in there.”
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About 45 minutes after the ceremony began, someone came outside to address the remaining crowd. Families were told their only option was to watch a livestream from the student union or on their phones.
“I can go to my house and watch the livestream,” McFall said. “Who’s the event coordinator? Who from the school did this? This is awful, and it needs to be made right.”
NC State did not respond to questions about how the situation unfolded or why the event was not ticketed. The university said it provided a livestream for those unable to attend in person and had posted earlier in the week advising visitors to expect delays around the coliseum.
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NORTH CAROLINA — Fifteen lineworkers from North Carolina’s electric cooperatives recently traveled to Guatemala to help bring first-time access to electricity to a rural village.
The group spent three weeks working in El Plan Nuevo Amanecer.
Crews constructed three miles of line, bringing power to more than 50 homes, a school, two churches and the community’s only health clinic.
Photo: North Carolina’s Electric Cooperatives
Without access to bucket trucks or heavy machinery, volunteers worked by hand across rugged terrain.
The project helped bring light to the village, creating new opportunities for education, economic growth and safer everyday life for the community.
The effort was done alongside NRECA International.
Volunteer lineworkers represented several North Carolina electric cooperatives, including EnergyUnited, Union Power Cooperative, Cape Hatteras Electric Cooperative, Jones-Onslow EMC, Edgecombe-Martin County EMC, South River EMC, Surry-Yadkin Electric Membership Corporation and Rutherford EMC.
Photo: North Carolina’s Electric Cooperatives
The NC Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at Thursday, May 7, 2026 results for each game:
Winning Pick 3 numbers from May 7 drawing
Day: 3-7-3, Fireball: 0
Evening: 3-5-8, Fireball: 9
Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 4 numbers from May 7 drawing
Day: 8-1-3-1, Fireball: 5
Evening: 7-1-5-3, Fireball: 4
Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Cash 5 numbers from May 7 drawing
10-11-14-19-36
Check Cash 5 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Double Play numbers from May 7 drawing
01-25-31-32-33
Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from May 7 drawing
05-08-21-44-48, Bonus: 01
Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize
All North Carolina Lottery retailers will redeem prizes up to $599.
For prizes over $599, winners can submit winning tickets through the mail or in person at North Carolina Lottery Offices. By mail, send a prize claim form, your signed lottery ticket, copies of a government-issued photo ID and social security card to: North Carolina Education Lottery, P.O. Box 41606, Raleigh, NC 27629. Prize claims less than $600 do not require copies of photo ID or a social security card.
To submit in person, sign the back of your ticket, fill out a prize claim form and deliver the form, along with your signed lottery ticket and government-issued photo ID and social security card to any of these locations:
- Asheville Regional Office & Claim Center: 16-G Regent Park Blvd., Asheville, NC 28806, 877-625-6886 press #1. Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes up to $99,999.
- Greensboro Regional Office & Claim Center: 20A Oak Branch Drive, Greensboro, NC 27407, 877-625-6886 press #2. Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes up to $99,999.
- Charlotte Regional Office & Claim Center: 5029-A West W. T. Harris Blvd., Charlotte, NC 28269-1861, 877-625-6886 press #3. Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes up to $99,999.
- NC Lottery Headquarters: Raleigh Claim Center & Regional Office, 2728 Capital Blvd., Suite 144, Raleigh, NC 27604, 877-625-6886 press #4. Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes of any amount.
- Greenville Regional Office & Claim Center: 2790 Dickinson Avenue, Suite A, Greenville, NC 27834, 877-625-6886 press #5. Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes up to $99,999.
- Wilmington Regional Office & Claim Center: 123 North Cardinal Drive Extension, Suite 140, Wilmington, NC 28405, 877-625-6886 press #6. Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes up to $99,999.
Check previous winning numbers and payouts at https://nclottery.com/.
When are the North Carolina Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 10:59 p.m. Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 11 p.m. Tuesday and Friday.
- Lucky for Life: 10:38 p.m. daily.
- Pick 3, 4: 3:00 p.m. and 11:22 p.m. daily.
- Cash 5: 11:22 p.m. daily.
- Millionaire for Life: 11:15 p.m. daily.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Carolina Connect editor. You can send feedback using this form.
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