RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) 鈥� Several top staffers in North Carolina Republican Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson's campaign for governor have quit their posts, marking more fallout from a outlining evidence that he made disturbing posts on a pornography website鈥檚 message board more than a decade ago.
The campaign said in a news release Sunday that senior adviser Conrad Pogorzelski III, campaign manager Chris Rodriguez, the campaign's finance director and a deputy campaign manager 鈥渉ave stepped down from their roles with the campaign.鈥� Information on new campaign staffers would be forthcoming soon, the release said.
鈥淚 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 release.
Pogorzelski, who helped Robinson get elected lieutenant governor in 2020 in his first bid for public office and later became his chief of staff, said separately on Sunday that additional staffers also left the campaign, including the deputy finance director, two political directors and the director of operations.
Pogorzelski, in a text, said that he 鈥渁long with others from the campaign have left of our own accord.鈥�
The CNN report on Thursday unearthed past posts it said Robinson left on a porn site鈥檚 message boards in which he referred to himself as a 鈥渂lack NAZI;" said he enjoyed transgender pornography; said in 2012 he preferred Hitler to then-President Barack Obama; and slammed the late Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. as 鈥渨orse than a maggot.鈥�
Robinson denied writing the posts and said Thursday that he wouldn鈥檛 be forced out of the race by 鈥渟alacious tabloid lies.鈥� He avoided directly discussing the controversy during a gubernatorial campaign event on Saturday evening at a race track in Fayetteville. The event happened after earlier in the day former didn't mention Robinson at a rally about 90 miles (145 kilometers) away in Wilmington.
Before Saturday, Robinson had been a frequent presence at Trump鈥檚 North Carolina campaign stops. The Republican presidential nominee has long praised Robinson 鈥� who would be North Carolina's first Black governor if elected 鈥� calling him 鈥淢artin Luther King on steroids鈥� for his speaking style.
On Sunday, Robinson still expressed optimism that he could win in November over Democratic nominee Josh Stein, the sitting attorney general. Polls have shown Robinson trailing Stein.
But Robinson said polls have 鈥渦nderestimated Republican support in North Carolina for several cycles,鈥� and with a large portion of the electorate undecided 鈥淚 am confident our campaign remains in a strong position to make our case to the voters and win on November 5.鈥�
Robinson has a long history of making inflammatory comments, including suggesting women who sought abortion 鈥渨eren鈥檛 responsible enough to keep your skirt down鈥� and comparing abortion to slavery.
Stein said Sunday on CNN鈥檚 鈥淪tate of the Union鈥� that Robinson is 鈥渦tterly unqualified, unfit to be the governor of North Carolina, and we鈥檙e going to do everything in our power to keep that from happening.鈥�
Polls show Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris locked in a close race in North Carolina and nationally. Democrats have seized on the opportunity to highlight Trump鈥檚 ties to Robinson, with billboards showing the two together and a new ad from Harris鈥� campaign highlighting the Republican candidates鈥� ties, as well as Robinson鈥檚 support for a statewide abortion ban without exceptions.
On Sunday, Republican U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, of South Carolina, said on NBC鈥檚 鈥淢eet the Press鈥� that Robinson deserves a chance to defend himself against the allegations, which Graham described as 鈥渦nnerving.鈥� He said Robinson is 鈥渁 political zombie if he does not offer a defense to this that鈥檚 credible,鈥� while arguing the issue wouldn鈥檛 hurt Trump.
鈥淚f they鈥檙e true, he鈥檚 unfit to serve for office,鈥� Graham said of Robinson and the claims in the CNN report. 鈥淚f they鈥檙e not true, he has the best lawsuit in the history of the country for libel.鈥�
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Associated Press writer Jonathan Mattise in Nashville, Tennessee, contributed to this report.
Gary D. Robertson, The Associated Press
