Mark Robinson’s top staff resigns after controversy over online posts

Four top aides to Mark Robinson, the Republican nominee for North Carolina governor, resigned on Sunday, just three days after his racial and sexual comments from more than a decade ago were exposed by CNN.

A statement from the campaign said campaign manager Chris Rodriguez, deputy campaign manager Jason Rizk, finance director Heather Whillier, and senior advisor Conrad Pogorzelski III had all resigned.

“I appreciate the efforts of these team members who have made the difficult choice to step away from the campaign, and I wish them well in their future endeavors,” Robinson said. “I look forward to announcing new staff roles in the coming days.”

Robinson, who is currently the Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina, has vowed to stay in the race despite a CNN report which revealed controversial statements he allegedly made on a website called “Nude Africa” between 2008 and 2012.

In messages from October 2010, Robinson allegedly called himself a “black NAZI” and said “slavery is not bad,” adding that “some people” need to be slaves. “I wish they would bring it back. I would certainly buy a few,” he said.

Friday was the deadline to withdraw from the governor’s race, which means Robinson’s name will appear on the November 5 ballot even if he decides to pull out. Recent polls have shown him trailing Democratic nominee Josh Stein, who is the state’s attorney general.

“Polls have consistently underestimated Republican support in North Carolina for several cycles now and with a large portion of the electorate still undecided as we continue to ramp up our efforts across the state, I am confident our campaign remains in a strong position to make our case to the voters and win on November 5,” Robinson said in Sunday’s statement.