Republican Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp has withdrawn his support for Mark Robinson in the North Carolina gubernatorial race following the revelation of inflammatory comments made by the GOP nominee on a porn website over a decade ago. This decision came after photos of a Robinson fundraiser, which the governor attended last month, were obtained by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
A spokesperson for Kemp's office stated that the governor, who attended the fundraiser in his capacity as Vice Chair of the Republican Governors Association, will no longer be offering further support to the Robinson campaign.
In the wake of the scandal, several of Robinson's campaign staffers resigned on Sunday. National Republican groups have also decided to pull financial support for Robinson, and the nominee did not join former President Donald Trump during his recent visit to the state.
On Monday, GOP vice presidential nominee JD Vance commented that it is now up to Robinson to 'make his case,' although he stopped short of disavowing him. Some GOP lawmakers have privately acknowledged that Robinson is likely to lose by a significant margin, raising concerns that this could negatively impact Republican voter turnout in the upcoming November elections.
