Robinson lashes out at Republican senator amid tensions over campaign

North Carolina GOP gubernatorial nominee Mark Robinson recently lashed out at Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) at a campaign event, slamming the senior senator as “spineless” following tensions surrounding the continuation of his campaign. 

Robinson, speaking Saturday, referred to a war being fought on “four fronts” — in Israel, in Ukraine, at the U.S.-Mexico border and “on our streets to save our children.” He suggested that with these issues ongoing, Tillis's criticizing him is not helpful. 

“I don't need some lily-livered, jelly-backed, spineless toad like Thom Tillis wanting to cross his legs,” Robinson said to applause and cheering from those in attendance. 

“I called him 'spineless,'" he continued. "And here's why I called him spineless: cause he's more concerned about standing up against Mark Robinson and other Republicans like me than he is to standing with us to fight these Democrats who are trying to destroy this nation."

Robinson’s comments were recorded by an attendee and posted on YouTube. 

The Hill has reached out to Robinson’s campaign and Tillis’s office for comment. 

Robinson’s remarks come as his campaign was left reeling following an explosive CNN report last month revealing a wide range of inflammatory comments that the lieutenant governor reportedly made on the message board of a pornography website over the course of a few years. The comments include Robinson calling himself a “black NAZI,” wishing for slavery to be reinstated and calling Martin Luther King Jr. a “commie bastard,” among others. 

Robinson denied the story and vowed he would stay in the race, but Republicans including Tillis distanced themselves from him in its aftermath. 

Tillis responded to the report by suggesting that Robinson should either “take immediate legal action” if it is false, or, if the report is true, “he owes it to President Trump and every Republican to take accountability for his actions and put the future of NC & our party before himself.” 

He also called on Republicans to focus on races “we can win,” referring to the presidential and downballot races. The senator later indicated he would not campaign for Robinson and declined to say if he would vote for him. 

Polling has shown Robinson with a large deficit against his Democratic opponent, state Attorney General Josh Stein.

Stein leads in the The Hill/Decision Desk HQ's polling average by about 15 points — even as the presidential race between former President Trump and Vice President Harris is nearly tied.