North Carolina's former Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson rules out future run for office
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North Carolina's disgraced former Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson ended a defamation lawsuit against CNN Friday, and at the same time, ruled out any plans to run for elected office in the future.
Why it matters: Robinson's tumultuous campaign for North Carolina governor went up in flames in November, when he decidedly lost the race to now-Gov. Josh Stein by nearly 15 points.
- In the months that followed, he and his allies left open the possibility that he would run for higher office. Whispers that Robinson would run for U.S. Senate or chair of the state Republican Party dominated North Carolina political circles in the weeks after his loss.
- His announcement puts much of that speculation to rest and closes the book on a painful chapter for fellow Republicans, many of whom were negatively impacted by the Robinson campaign's free fall in the weeks before the election.
What they're saying: "The fact of the matter is this: the price we have paid in entering the political arena will never be recognized," Robinson said in a press release Friday.
- "There is no dollar amount high enough. While it has been the honor of a lifetime to serve the people of North Carolina, the continued political persecution of my family and loved ones is a cost I am unwilling to continue to bear."
Flashback: In early September, North Carolina magazine The Assembly quoted former Greensboro porn store employee Louis Love Money in a story about how Robinson frequented porn video stores in the 1990s and 2000s.
- Weeks later, CNN published a report that rocked the North Carolina governor's race, alleging that Robinson, under the username "minisoldr," called himself a "Black NAZI" and "perv," said he supported reinstating slavery and liked trans porn.
Catch up quick: Facing immense pressure from fellow Republicans to disprove the allegations, Robinson filed a defamation lawsuit against CNN and Money in October, accusing them of a "coordinated attack aimed at derailing his campaign for governor."
The latest: "The words of our Savior, along with the earthly reality that costly litigation and political gamesmanship by my detractors makes clear that continuing to pursue retribution from CNN is a futile effort," Robinson said Friday.
- Robinson said he asked his legal team to end the lawsuit.
- He added that he will not run next year — likely in response to theories that he would primary Republican U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis in 2026 — or anytime in the future.
- Asked if that includes a possible run for GOP state party chair, Robinson's political consultant in the final weeks of his campaign, Matt Hurley, said: "If he's planning on running for party chair, that's news to me."