Attorney General of North Carolina Jos Steina Democrat running for governor against Republican Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson plans to launch his first two television ads Tuesday, one of which attacks his opponents’ views on abortion in the battleground battle, according to a campaign official who shared the ads exclusively with NBC News.
The 30-second ad, titled “Listen,” features Robinson, who is an outspoken critic of abortion rights, speaking on a Facebook Live stream in 2019 and speaking out against the procedure, the campaign official said.
“Abortion in this country is not about protecting the lives of mothers,” Robinson says in the clip used in the ad. “It’s about killing the child because you weren’t responsible enough to keep your skirt down.”
The ad, which is part of a seven-figure buy by Stein’s campaign, also shows Robinson saying that if he were governor and had a “willing” state legislature, he would sign legislation banning abortion “for any reason.” .
In the spot, Robinson also says, “For me, there is no compromise on abortion. It doesn’t matter to me why or how that child ended up in that womb.”
Stein, who is an outspoken supporter of abortion rights, has vowed to defend access to the procedure and women’s reproductive freedoms.
“In November, North Carolina residents will face a stark choice between a safer and stronger North Carolina with Josh Stein or Mark Robinson’s focus on stripping women of their reproductive freedoms and a divisive vision that will kill jobs,” said Jeff Allen, Stein’s campaign manager. said in a statement. “Over the next five months, we are prepared to ensure that every North Carolinian knows the stakes of this race – and we’re just getting started.”
When asked for comment about Stein’s attacks on Robinson’s abortion positions, Mike Lonergan, the communications director for Robinson’s campaign, said Robinson is “pro-life” because of the “painful and difficult” experience he and his wife when they decided to have an abortion in 1989. Robinson has since said that the decision to have an abortion was “wrong.”
“He has said that as governor he would sign a heartbeat bill with exceptions for rape, incest and when the mother’s life is in danger,” Lonergan said in a statement released by Robinson. “Lt. Gov. Robinson also wants to make North Carolina a destination state for life by doing more to support women who choose life; such as improving our foster care and adoption systems; and maintaining access to IVF.”
Lonergan also attacked President Joe Biden and the Democratic Party as a whole for their positions on abortion.
“Biden, Stein and the Democrats are recycling the same old playbook they used in 2022,” Lonergan said in the statement. “It failed then and it will fail now. North Carolina voters do not support the Biden-Stein agenda of taxpayer-funded, late-term abortion on demand. That is extreme and inconsistent with the values of our state.”
The Stein campaign’s second ad on Tuesday focuses on his work on the rape kit backlog and the fentanyl crisis as North Carolina attorney general.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
