Under the Dome: Mark Robinson’s schedule, an endorsement and an ultimatum
As Western North Carolina braces for the impacts of Hurricane Helene, the N.C. Faith and Freedom Coalition is preparing to host its annual Salt & Light Conference at the Nebo Crossing Church in Marion this weekend.
Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson is one of the most prominent figures speaking at this year’s conference, and as of Thursday, he’s still scheduled to address the gathering on Saturday afternoon, according to the coalition’s grassroots director, Jim Quick.
The conference will be live-streamed on YouTube. It would be one of Robinson’s first major public appearances with other Republicans since the scandal broke last week over what CNN says are his old posts on an online porn forum.
Organizers said they are monitoring the forecast for Helene, adding that the projected flooding won’t impact the church where the conference is being held, or major roads leading up to the church.
They urged attendees to travel safely and check drivenc.gov to make their driving plans, and said updates will be posted on their website and Facebook page “as warranted.”
I’m Avi Bajpai. Welcome to the Under the Dome newsletter. Here’s more from the politics team and Stephanie Loder, correspondent.
An endorsement for Robinson
The embattled GOP gubernatorial nominee announced an endorsement on Thursday from the Oil & Gas Workers Association.
The trade association, founded in 2015, has 47,000 members nationwide, according to its website. It has endorsed former President Donald Trump, along with other high-profile Republicans like Arizona U.S. Senate candidate Kari Lake, and U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert.
In a statement, Robinson said he was proud to receive the group’s endorsement, and said that if he is elected governor, he will “fight to bring down energy costs and create more jobs for middle-class families with a more common-sense approach: like responsible development of fossil fuels like coal and natural gas and clean sources of energy like nuclear power.”
Matt Coday, the association’s founder and president, said that under Robinson, “we can rest assured that our workers and our industry will be in good hands.”
— Avi Bajpai
Here’s what else the Under the Dome politics team has been working on:
Danielle Battaglia reports Sen. Thom Tillis’ remarks that Robinson needs to either prove his innocence or “step aside.” Tillis didn’t hold back when he talked about Robinson, saying he “owes it to the people of North Carolina” to either “prosecute a case against CNN” over the explosive report attributing racist, pornographic posts to him, or step aside.
Attorney General Josh Stein is getting campaign support from Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, Dawn Baumgartner Vaughan reports. The two Democrats have a campaign event scheduled for noon Sunday at UNC Greensboro. Greensboro is also Robinson’s hometown.
Wake County school district officials, at a press conference on Thursday, urged state legislators to allow a veto of a bill by Gov. Roy Cooper to stand. The bill, House Bill 10, would provide more than half a billion dollars in additional funding for private school vouchers, reports Lexi Solomon. It’s the same bill that would require sheriffs to cooperate with detention requests from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Here’s what our colleagues at other media outlets are reporting:
Robinson named Deputy Chief of Staff Krishana Polite to become his next chief of staff in the Lieutenant Governor’s Office on Thursday, the day after current Chief of Staff and General Counsel Brian LiVecchi resigned, according to a report by the Associated Press.
Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign is trying to use the Robinson scandal to win North Carolina, referencing him in conversations with Harris volunteers and with voters on the phone and at their doorways, the AP reported Thursday.
VOTER GUIDE
In the latest candidate questionnaires from our 2024 NC Voter Guide, see what candidates for NC Court of Appeals have to say about the issues, and learn more about their biographies. Six candidates for three seats on the court answered our questions:
Seat 12:
Seat 14:
Seat 15:
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