Trump-backed Mark Robinson wins North Carolina GOP primary for governor, CBS News projects

Washington — North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson will win the Republican primary for governor, CBS News projects. 

Robinson earned the backing of former President Donald Trump over the weekend, who called him “Martin Luther King on steroids.” On Tuesday, Robinson was projected to defeat attorney Bill Graham and State Treasurer Dale Folwell in the GOP primary. 

Robinson, 55, has served as North Carolina’s lieutenant governor since 2021. He gained notoriety in Republican circles after he delivered a pro-gun rights speech that went viral online, which helped propel him to being elected lieutenant governor. The lieutenant governor has also received attention in recent years for inflammatory comments about LGBTQ+ issues, among other things. If elected, he would become the first Black governor of North Carolina.

The race for the governor’s mansion is expected to be widely watched — and expensive — with Robinson set to face off in a close race against North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein in November. CBS News projected that Stein will win the Democratic primary Tuesday night. 

Stein and Robinson are competing for the post, currently held by Gov. Roy Cooper, a Democrat, who is term limited. While Democrats have frequently won the gubernatorial election in recent decades in North Carolina, voters have largely elected Republicans to other offices in recent years and have voted for Republicans in the presidential elections since 2012. But some Republicans, eager to get the governor’s mansion back, have warned that Robinson could be a liability.

North Carolina is expected to be a battleground state in 2024, and the race for the governor’s mansion will likely mirror the broader political dynamics, with Robinson embracing the MAGA Republican playbook pushed by Trump, and Stein, will likely be aligned with President Biden.