Man Parlays His Viral Gun Rights Speech into Lt. Gov. Primary Victory
Republicans in North Carolina chose a political outsider and vocal Second Amendment advocate to be their candidate in the state’s lieutenant governor race.
Mark Robinson, a concerned citizen who went viral in 2018 for standing up for gun rights in front of the Greensboro City Council, came out victorious last week in a crowded field of candidates for the Republican nomination for the post.
According to The Associated Press, Robinson received the most votes in a nine-candidate field on Super Tuesday, beating out House Rep. Renee Elmers and the state’s school superintendent, among other candidates.
Unofficial results showed that by grabbing 32 percent of the total votes, Robinson received more than twice as many votes as the runner-up, the AP reported.
By reaching 30 percent, the political novice also avoided a runoff.
Robinson is a first-time candidate and worked in a furniture factory and a restaurant before launching his bid for lieutenant governor.
The GOP nominee was born and raised in Greensboro, North Carolina.
It is the American dream come true. Robinson worked a series of blue-collar jobs and could very well be elevated to the role of second-in-command in the Tar Heel State.
Robinson appeared on Fox News last week, where he stated that in addition to being a gun rights activist, he is also a pro-life Christian.
“Our message is so much more than the Second Amendment, which is a crucial issue,” Robinson told “Fox & Friends First.”
“It’s a message that touches on all the topics conservative North Carolinians are concerned with today,” he added.
Robinson said he would like to see the country “purge abortion from our shores for the cause of life the same way that we purged slavery for the cause of liberty.”
He also spoke about “ending indoctrination” in public schools.
Robinson states on his website that he spent time in the North Carolina foster care system as a child before ending up back with his mother, whom he credits for teaching him about faith.
The candidate says left his factory job once NAFTA went into effect and worked for a time in a restaurant — eventually becoming manager. The Army reserve veteran is staunchly pro-law enforcement and anti-illegal immigration.
While Robinson’s political resume might not have stacked up to those of his rivals, it appears Republicans in North Carolina found that appealing.
Robinson’s activism was on full display in 2018, when he went before Greensboro council members and gave an impassioned speech standing up for the Second Amendment.
“I’ve heard a whole lot of people in here talking tonight about this group and that group,” Robinson said in the video. “What I want to know is, when are you all going to start standing up for the majority? And here’s who the majority is. I’m the majority.”
Describing himself as a “a law-abiding citizen who’s never shot anybody,” Robinson added he had “never committed a serious crime, never committed a felony.”
“I’ve never done anything like that, but it seems like every time we have one of these shootings, nobody wants to put the blame where it goes, which is at the shooter’s feet,” Robinson said.
The speech was in response to local lawmakers floating the idea of canceling a gun show after the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.
The AP report noted that if Robinson wins in November, he will become North Carolina’s first black lieutenant governor.
On the Democratic side of the race, Robinson will face either state Rep. Yvonne Lewis Holley or state Sen. Terry Van Duyn in the general election, as none of the six candidates in the Democratic field met the threshold to avoid a runoff, according to The Charlotte Observer.
Holley led the Democratic contest with 26 percent of the vote. Van Duyn had 20 percent. However, a runoff isn’t automatic and must be requested by the second-place finisher. Van Duyn hasn’t made that decision yet, the Observer reported.
If Robinson’s primary performance is any indicator, the Democrats might have their work cut out for them.
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