While Robinson attacks Stein, Morgan attacks Robinson

By Cash Michaels, Peacemaker Senior Contributor / September 22, 2023

No candidate has officially filed to run for governor yet in the 2024 elections (the last day for that is December 15th). But already, attacks are flying from both sides as the gubernatorial campaigns heat up, and the candidates jockey for dominant positions.

Bombastic Republican culture warrior Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, who finds himself in a primary race with at least four other candidates, has indeed presumed himself the GOP frontrunner, ignoring his Republican opposition, and he has begun attacking the Democratic frontrunner, state Atty. General Josh Stein.

Earlier in the year, shortly after Stein announced his candidacy, his campaign fell victim to a “sophisticated” $50,000 scam.

The Robinson campaign immediately pounced on the misstep.

“Josh Stein is supposed to be protecting taxpayers from scams – not getting duped by them himself. Yet within a week of announcing his run for governor, Stein’s campaign willingly sent $50,000 to a scammer. How can the voters trust Stein with a state budget of tens of billions of dollars as governor if his campaign can’t even sniff out a $50,000 scam? North Carolina voters deserve better than Josh Stein’s incompetence, the Robinson campaign said.

Shortly after news broke regarding the spread of a new COVID-19 variant, the Robinson campaign pointed the finger at Stein, even though he has nothing to do with COVID-19 health policy.

“Democratic politicians and bureaucrats are bringing back mask mandates,” Robinson’s campaign wrote on his Facebook page. “I call on Attorney General Josh Stein to tell the voters of North Carolina where he stands on reintroducing these kinds of destructive policies of government overreach.”

By most polls, Robinson is leading Stein in the polls, so naturally his campaign feels the state attorney general is not only the dominant Democrat in the race, but also vulnerable to attack.

On June 13th, the Stein campaign posted, “Donald Trump just backed my most extreme opponent. Why? Because he’s a MAGA extremist who wants a total ban on abortion, believes women aren’t called to lead, and thinks LGBTQ+ folks are “filth.” North Carolina deserves better.”

Then under the same post, Stein’s campaign displayed an Associated Press story published by ABC News titled, “Trump pledges to endorse Mark Robinson for North Carolina governor.”

Days later on June 27th, the Mark Robinson campaign posted “Josh Stein, Do Your Job,” where the first line read, “Attorney General Stein’s refusal to do his job is perfectly in line with who he is ‑ a liberal elitist who thinks he knows better than the people.”

As documented, the Stein and Robinson campaigns have been going at each other for months.

Then on Sept. 12th, retired N.C. Supreme Court Justice Mike Morgan entered the race, giving Stein, who seemed to be the anointed choice of Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper and the NCDP power structure, a primary opponent.

Upon entering, Morgan seemed to backhand Stein’s popular party appeal.

“As a devoted North Carolinian and a concerned Democrat, I am disappointed by the growing trend — even in my own political party — of a few folks in power trying to select the people’s leaders and determining our destinies,” Morgan said. “I am committed to challenging the status quo that allows a few at the top to choose the winners and losers among us. My vision is to provide all North Carolinians with fair opportunities in which they may thrive and succeed. I am running on a platform that calls for a change to the system that allows the working people, children, and families of North Carolina NOT to be ignored and taken for granted.”

Then, three days later, in the immediate aftermath of a second well-publicized gun incident on the campus of UNC at Chapel Hill, the Robinson campaign announced that “In his quest to secure votes and raise money ahead of being on the ballot for North Carolina’s next governor, Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson is hosting an event that’s turning heads.”

WNCN-17 further reported, “On Sunday (Sept. 17), Robinson’s fundraiser will include a VIP cocktail hour, dinner, donor photo-ops with him, and even a raffle. That raffle will put three guns up for grabs, including an AR-15 rifle and two Glock handguns.”

Morgan’s nubile campaign wasted no time jumping on the Robinson campaign’s seeming insensitivity.

“N.C. Gubernatorial Candidate Mike Morgan condemns opponent Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson’s irresponsible move to host a gun raffle at Robinson’s upcoming fundraising event,” Morgan’s campaign said in a campaign statement.

“This tone-deaf, political stunt goes against our North Carolina values when it comes to gun violence. Unlike many diseases and other public health problems, every firearm injury and death is preventable,” said Morgan.”

He continued, “According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, among N.C. children and youth, the 2018 firearm homicide rate was the highest among Black children ages 0-19 years, and was nearly 10 times the rate among White children.”

“Robinson is not qualified to be the Governor of N.C.,” said Morgan.