Mark Robinson (American politician) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Mark Robinson
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Robinson in 2022
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| 35th Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina | |
| In office January 9, 2021 – January 1, 2025 |
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| Governor | Roy Cooper |
| Preceded by | Dan Forest |
| Succeeded by | Rachel Hunt |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Mark Keith Robinson
August 18, 1968 Greensboro, North Carolina, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse |
Yolanda Hill
(m. 1990) |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | University of North Carolina, Greensboro (BA) |
| Signature |  |
| Military service | |
| Branch/service | United States Army |
| Unit | United States Army Reserve |
Mark Keith Robinson (born August 18, 1968) is an American politician. He served as the 35th lieutenant governor of North Carolina from 2021 to 2025. He is a member of the Republican Party. Robinson was the first Black lieutenant governor of North Carolina. He was also the first Black person nominated by a major party to run for governor in the state.
Robinson was born in Greensboro, North Carolina. He worked in furniture making for many years before he became involved in politics. He became well-known in 2018. This happened after a video of him speaking about gun rights at a Greensboro City Council meeting went viral. He ran for lieutenant governor in 2020 and won.
In 2024, Robinson ran for governor. He lost the election to Josh Stein. After the election, Robinson announced he would retire from politics.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Mark Robinson was born on August 18, 1968, in Greensboro, North Carolina. He was the ninth of ten children. Robinson has shared that his family faced challenges, including domestic violence. He and his siblings spent some time in foster care. Later, they moved back with their mother, who worked as a cleaner.
After finishing Grimsley High School, Robinson joined the Army Reserve. He worked in furniture factories in the Piedmont Triad area. He also attended North Carolina A&T State University. Later, he studied history at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. He earned a bachelor's degree in history in December 2022.
Political Career
Robinson became interested in American conservative politics after reading a book by Rush Limbaugh. He realized he had always been conservative. On April 3, 2018, Robinson attended a Greensboro City Council meeting. They were discussing whether to cancel a gun show after the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting. Robinson spoke in favor of gun rights. A video of his speech became very popular online after Mark Walker shared it on Facebook. After this, Robinson left college and his job to focus on public speaking. He was invited to speak at the National Rifle Association of America's yearly meeting.
Running for Lieutenant Governor
In 2019, Robinson decided to run for Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina. He won the Republican nomination in the primary election. He faced Democratic candidate Yvonne Lewis Holley in the general election. Both Robinson and Holley were Black. This meant that North Carolina would have its first Black lieutenant governor. Robinson won the election. He became the second Black person elected to the North Carolina Council of State.
Serving as Lieutenant Governor
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Robinson took office on January 9, 2021. During his time as lieutenant governor, he often had a difficult relationship with Democratic Governor Roy Cooper. Robinson said they rarely communicated. As lieutenant governor, Robinson was supposed to act as governor when Cooper was out of the state. However, Cooper often did not tell Robinson when he left.
Robinson was also a member of several state boards. In 2023, Robinson helped pass a law to create the North Carolina Medal of Valor. This award honors law enforcement officers. His office became responsible for giving out this award.
FACTS Task Force
After becoming lieutenant governor, Robinson focused on education. He was especially interested in what materials were used in schools. On March 26, 2021, he started the FACTS Task Force. FACTS stands for Fairness, Accountability in the Classroom for Teachers and Students. This group was created to collect reports about political bias in public schools. The task force grew to 15 members.
In August 2021, the task force released a report. It included over 500 complaints. These complaints were about lessons and materials related to race and LGBTQ rights. Some complaints also attacked the task force itself. That month, Robinson supported a bill in the legislature. This bill aimed to stop teachers from forcing students to believe certain ideas.
Running for Governor
On April 22, 2023, Robinson announced he would run for governor of North Carolina. On March 3, 2024, Donald Trump supported Robinson's campaign. Trump called him "Martin Luther King on steroids." On March 5, Robinson won the Republican primary election for governor. He became the first Black person to win a major party nomination for governor in North Carolina. In his speech, he talked about his humble beginnings. He also focused on his goal to make the state's economy stronger.
During his 2024 campaign, Robinson faced criticism for past online comments. These comments were reported by news organizations like CNN and Politico. The reports linked Robinson to a username "minisoldr" on an online forum. The comments included strong language and controversial views. Robinson denied these claims. He said the account was fake and created by artificial intelligence. The posts linked to "minisoldr" were deleted the same day CNN reported on them.
Weeks before, another publication, The Assembly, reported that six people said they saw Robinson visiting video stores in the 1990s and 2000s. Politico also reported that Robinson's email was registered on Ashley Madison. This website is for married people looking for relationships outside of marriage. The Washington Post reported that "minisoldr" on the online forum discussed having relationships outside of marriage.
After these reports, many of Robinson's campaign staff resigned. The Democratic National Committee also ran ads highlighting Trump's support for Robinson. On September 24, Robinson hired a lawyer to investigate the claims. On October 15, Robinson filed a $50 million lawsuit against CNN.
Robinson lost the governor's election to Democrat Josh Stein. He lost by more than 14%. This was despite Donald Trump winning North Carolina in the presidential election. Robinson conceded the race to Stein on election night. On January 31, 2025, Robinson dropped his lawsuit against CNN. He also announced that he did not plan to run for office again.
Political Views and Remarks
Robinson is known for his strong conservative views. He has often spoken out on cultural issues. He does not believe in climate change. In his 2024 campaign, he said he wanted to remove science and social studies from early elementary school. He also wanted to get rid of the North Carolina State Board of Education. He supported expanding charter schools and school voucher programs. Media outlets have described his views as far-right or very conservative.
Holocaust Denial
In March 2023, more of Robinson's past social media posts came to light. Some Facebook posts seemed to question the number of Jews who died in the Holocaust. Both Democrats and Republicans criticized his statements.
Views on Women and Feminism
In 2016, Robinson said that feminism is "watered by the devil."
Robinson also criticized women who breastfeed in public. In 2017, he stated, "The only thing worse than a woman who doesn't know her place, is a man who doesn't know his." In 2010, Robinson said, "I absolutely want to go back to the America where women couldn't vote." In 2022, he said that Christians "are called to be led by men."
Personal Life
Robinson married Yolanda Dechelle Hill in 1990. They have two children. They live in High Point, North Carolina. He identifies as an evangelical Christian. He has been invited to preach at churches.
Financial History
Robinson filed for bankruptcy three times: in 1998, 1999, and 2003. He was also sued several times for not paying debts. In 2012, his landlord sued him for not paying rent.
According to court records, Robinson did not pay federal income tax for seven years. He had tax liens from the Internal Revenue Service as recently as 2012. Robinson said in 2020 that his tax issues were resolved.
In 2022, Robinson told WRAL-TV that he had no unpaid taxes. However, the TV station found that he owed money to Guilford County for five unpaid vehicle tax bills. These bills were from 2006 to 2018. Robinson then paid the debt. He said he did not know about the unpaid vehicle tax.
Images for kids
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Mark Robinson's signature
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
