Mark Robinson (American politician) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Mark Robinson
35th Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina
In office January 9, 2021 – January 1, 2025
Governor	Roy Cooper
Preceded by	Dan Forest
Succeeded by	Rachel Hunt
Personal details
Born	Mark Keith Robinson (1968-08-18) August 18, 1968 (age 56) Greensboro, North Carolina, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Yolanda Hill ​ (m. 1990)​
Children	2
Education	University of North Carolina at Greensboro (BA)
Signature
Military service
Branch/service	United States Army
Unit	Army Reserve

Mark Keith Robinson (born August 18, 1968) is an American politician who served as the 35th lieutenant governor of North Carolina from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Republican Party, he was the party's nominee in the 2024 North Carolina gubernatorial election. He is North Carolina's first Black lieutenant governor and was the first Black major party nominee for governor.

Born in Greensboro, Robinson worked in furniture manufacturing for several years before entering politics. Robinson launched his first political campaign in the 2020 North Carolina lieutenant gubernatorial election and defeated Democratic state representative Yvonne Lewis Holley. Near the end of his first term, Robinson won the Republican nomination for governor. He lost to Democratic state attorney general Josh Stein in the 2024 general election by 14.8%.

Robinson has a history of making incendiary and controversial statements, including about the LGBTQ community, women's rights, civil rights, and antisemitism.

Early life and education

Robinson was born in Greensboro, North Carolina, as the ninth of ten children. Robinson has said that his father was abusive, and that he and his family suffered from domestic violence; Robinson and his siblings lived in foster care for part of their childhood, before moving back in with their mother. After high school, he served in the Army Reserve, then worked at several furniture factories in the Triad region. and had begun to study history at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

Political career

Robinson attributed the beginning of his interest in American conservative politics to his reading of a book by Rush Limbaugh, after which he "found out that I was conservative and always had been". On April 3, 2018, Robinson attended a meeting of the Greensboro City Council, where they debated whether or not to cancel a gun show in the wake of the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting. Robinson spoke in favor of gun rights, and video of his speech went viral after it was shared on Facebook by Mark Walker. Afterwards, Robinson dropped out of the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and left his job in furniture manufacturing to focus on public speaking engagements. He was invited to speak at the National Rifle Association of America's annual convention that year.

2020 campaign

Robinson ran in the 2020 election for lieutenant governor of North Carolina. He won the Republican nomination, clearing the 30% threshold to avoid a primary runoff, defeating state senator Andy Wells, superintendent of public instruction Mark Johnson, former congresswoman Renee Ellmers, and former state representative Scott Stone. He faced Democratic nominee Yvonne Lewis Holley in the general election in November, in a race in which either Robinson or Holley would become North Carolina's first African-American lieutenant governor. Robinson was elected, in the process becoming the second black person ever elected to the North Carolina Council of State, after Ralph Campbell Jr.

Robinson's 2020 campaign finance reports contained incomplete information on his campaign contributors. Campaign finance watchdog Bob Hall identified several questionable expenditures in Robinson's campaign reports, including $186 for medical bills and for $2,840 for "campaign clothes and accessories" (most of it spent at a sporting goods shop); the campaign did not explain how these expenditures were campaign-related. Robinson's reports also stated that Robinson's wife spent $4,500 for "campaign clothing" but gave no details. The reports also stated that Robinson withdrew an unexplained $2,400 in cash in apparent violation of a state law requiring all candidate cash payment over $50 to be accompanied by a detailed description explaining of what the money was for. After these expenses came under scrutiny in 2021, Robinson's campaign blamed "clerical errors"; the executive director of the watchdog group Common Cause North Carolina filed a formal complaint with the State Board of Elections over the discrepancies.

Tenure as lieutenant governor

The Hawkins-Hartness House, official office of the Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina

Robinson was sworn in on January 9, 2021. During his tenure, Robinson has had a fraught relationship with Democratic Governor Roy Cooper; Robinson described communication between the two as "nonexistent". As lieutenant governor, the constitution prescribed that Robinson serve as acting governor when Cooper left the state, although Cooper regularly did not inform Robinson on his departures.

As lieutenant governor, Robinson was empowered to preside over sessions of the North Carolina Senate, but did not do so frequently after his first year in office, instead leaving that duty to the Senate president pro tempore. Robinson was also, by virtue of his elective office, an ex officio member of several state boards. As of September 2024, he had attended most of the Council of State's meetings, approximately half of the State Board of Education's meetings, four of the State Board of Community Colleges' meetings, four of the Energy Policy Council's meetings, and none of the Military Affairs Commission's meetings. In 2023, Robinson convinced the legislature to pass legislation establishing the North Carolina Medal of Valor for law enforcement officers and making his office responsible for its implementation.

FACTS Task Force

After swearing into office, Robinson began focusing on education issues, particularly with regard to the appropriateness of instructional and reading materials available to children enrolled in schools. On March 26, 2021, he launched the FACTS (Fairness, Accountability in the Classroom for Teachers and Students) Task Force through his office's website. The 12-member task force was to field reports of political bias in instruction in public schools. The task force was later expanded to 15 members. The task force failed to comply with the state open meeting law by not maintaining records of its meetings or transactions. The lieutenant governor's general counsel argued that the task force was not obligated to do so, as it was not a "public body" and existed only to advise the lieutenant governor's office. The chief attorney of the General Assembly's Legislative Analysis Division disagreed, saying that the board met the criteria under state law for being considered a public body. Further ambiguity surrounded the task force's legal status, as state law did not explicitly authorize or prohibit lieutenant governors from creating their own official boards.

The task force released a report on submitted complaints in late August 2021. Over 500 complaints pertained to allegedly biased lesson plans and instructional materials concerning race and LGBTQ rights and Christians, while others directly attacked the task force itself as a fishing expedition and a waste of resources. That month, Robinson pushed for the adoption of a bill in the legislature that sought to prevent teachers from compelling students to adhere to 13 specific beliefs, including notions that one race or sex is superior to others.

2024 gubernatorial run

On April 22, 2023, Robinson announced his campaign for the Republican nomination for governor of North Carolina during a speech at Ace Speedway in Altamahaw, North Carolina. On March 3, 2024, Donald Trump, then a candidate for the Republican nomination for the 2024 presidential election, endorsed Robinson, referring to him as "Martin Luther King on steroids" and "Martin Luther King times two", though Trump characterized Robinson's reaction to this description as possibly "angry" or akin to "I don't know if I like that". On March 5, Robinson won the Republican primary in the governor's race. Robinson is the first Black person to secure a major party nomination for the office of governor of North Carolina. In his victory speech, he departed from his earlier statements on social issues, instead speaking about his impoverished background and emphasizing his wish to strengthen the state's economy. During his 2024 campaign, Robinson has received some criticism from some more moderate Republicans, including U.S. Senator Thom Tillis and his primary opponent State Treasurer Dale Folwell, both of whom declined to endorse him or any candidate in the election.

Map of the 2024 North Carolina gubernatorial election results.

Robinson lost the gubernatorial election to Democrat Josh Stein by more than 14%, despite Republican Donald Trump defeating Democrat Kamala Harris by 3.4% in the concurrent 2024 presidential election in North Carolina. Robinson underperformed the Republican ticket in the presidential race, losing 14 counties which Trump won. Robinson conceded the race to Stein during his election night speech.

Political views and remarks

Robinson promoted his persona as a "brash and unfiltered conservative culture warrior". He promotes climate change denial. In his 2024 gubernatorial campaign, he indicated that he wants to remove science and social studies from first- through fifth-grade curriculum, abolish the State Board of Education, and expand charter schools and school voucher programs, potentially supplanting the public-school system. Media outlets have identified his views as right-wing, far-right or ultraconservative.

Antisemitic remarks

Robinson's past antisemitic comments have drawn scrutiny and condemnation. Prior to running for lieutenant governor, he frequently made Facebook posts that invoked antisemitic stereotypes and downplayed the harms of Nazism. Robinson's statements, as well as his refusal to apologize for or retract them, drew much concern from the leaders of North Carolina's Jewish community, as well as criticism from the Jewish Democratic Council of America and the Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC). Robinson declined to publicly apologize for any of his remarks, although he said he privately apologized to local Jewish leaders in a meeting in 2021.

In October 2023, after Hamas attacked Israel, Robinson said he supported Israel and, when asked about his past antisemitic comments, said "I've never been antisemitic...There have been some Facebook posts that were poorly worded on my part, did not convey my real sentiments, and I have addressed those issues and moved on from those issues." When asked if he apologized, Robinson said, "I apologize for the word—not necessarily for the content, but we apologize for the wording." Robinson's opponents in the gubernatorial election questioned the sincerity of the apology.

Holocaust denial

In March 2023, more of Robinson's past social-media statements emerged, including Facebook posts appearing to call the figure of 6 million Jews perishing in the Holocaust into question. Both Democrats and Republicans criticized Robinson's statements.

Other controversial remarks

On his Facebook page, which has more than 100,000 followers, Robinson's posts, which have impugned transgender people, Muslims, former President Barack Obama, and African-Americans who support Democrats, have drawn criticism.

In a March 2018 podcast, Robinson called the Civil Rights Movement a communist plot to "subvert capitalism" and "to subvert free choice". He has also called Martin Luther King Jr. a "communist" and "ersatz pastor".

Personal life

Robinson married Yolanda Dechelle Hill in 1990. They had a child in 1990 and another in 1992. They live in High Point, North Carolina. He identifies as an evangelical Christian and has been invited to preach at congregations including Trinity Baptist Church in Mooresville.

Bankruptcies and debts

Robinson filed for bankruptcy on three occasions: in 1998, 1999 and 2003. He has also been sued several times for nonpayment of debts. In 2012, Robinson's landlord sued him for failure to pay around $2,000 in rent; the landlord filed for summary ejectment (eviction).

According to court records, Robinson did not pay seven years of federal income tax, and had tax liens placed on him by the Internal Revenue Service as recently as 2012. Robinson said in 2020 that his issues with the IRS had been resolved.

In 2022, Robinson told WRAL-TV in an interview, "I don't have any unpaid taxes." After the television station revealed that Robinson owed several hundred dollars to Guilford County in five delinquent vehicle tax bills (dating from 2006 to 2018), Robinson paid off the tax debt. He said he was unaware that he had unpaid vehicle tax, claiming: "I'm not very good at math."

Electoral history

See also

• List of minority governors and lieutenant governors in the United States
• List of lieutenant governors of North Carolina
• List of African-American Republicans