Mark Robinson has made inflammatory comments that could jeopardize his gubernatorial bid — and the Republican Party’s quest to gain full statewide power in the swing state of North Carolina.
The lieutenant governor is also being crushed in fundraising by his Democratic opponent, the attorney general Jos Stein.
It’s against this backdrop that Republicans on Tuesday approved a campaign finance proposal that would change the way money flows to state parties and the reporting requirements associated with that money. But Democrats are crying foul, saying the Republican Party has made surprising changes to state law that would allow donors to support Robinson without having to directly tie their names to his candidacy.
“If you don’t want the responsibility that comes with being a donor supporting someone who is a very extreme candidate, like Mark Robinson, then this is a way to hide your money,” said Morgan Jackson, a senior adviser to Stein and North Carolina. Gov. Roy Cooper. The Democratic governor is expected to veto the legislation, creating a possible override of the Republican supermajority.
North Carolina Republicans have been tantalizingly close to total control. The battle for the governorship in this rare Southern state, where former President Donald Trump is leading in the polls, underlines the Republican Party’s gamble to put forward a top candidate. Democratic lawmakers and strategists argue that Republicans’ action in Raleigh was motivated by the upcoming Stein-Robinson contest in November, one of only two gubernatorial races in battleground states this year.
Republicans argue the bill was necessary to undo parts of a 2020 advisory memo from the State Board of Elections that they say unfairly benefits Democratic-leaning groups.
“Campaign finance reform is simply intended to level the playing field that has been tilted in Democrats’ favor following a 2020 collusive deal,” said a statement from the Republican Party of North Carolina to POLITICO. “That decision excluded Republican groups while favoring Democratic groups seeking to become involved in North Carolina elections. This change restores parity to campaign finance laws and shows once again why partisan control of election administration in North Carolina must end.”
The bill would allow national political groups to give unlimited amounts to state parties and affiliated political committees and bypass campaign finance reporting requirements. These national groups, called 527 organizations, collect donations from individuals, corporations and labor interests, and send some of those funds to state political committees, which then give to preferred candidates.
Critics say the change allows wealthy donors to back candidates with untraceable donations by allowing state committees to act as middlemen.
“Mark Robinson is so uniquely dangerous to North Carolina that even many Republicans are increasingly concerned about his support,” Meghan Meehan-Draper, executive director of the Democratic Governors Association, said in a statement. “That’s exactly why they’re pushing for this. new plan to get megadonors to spend millions to support Robinson without having to answer for his extremism and fringe conspiracies.”
A spokesperson for the Robinson campaign declined to comment. The RGA did not respond to requests for comment.
But Republicans who support the change argue it’s a level playing field, in part because the DGA and RGA, both 527 groups, classify their donations differently. The DGA segregates donations from corporate sources, while the RGA does not. Under current state law, corporations and labor groups are prohibited from donating directly to political candidates.
In addition to making disclosure requirements unclear, the changes also make it more difficult for the State Board of Elections to monitor contributions.
“We are facing an incredibly important gubernatorial race, and it is very important that the public understands the money coming into the state and where it comes from,” said Ann Webb, policy director for the advocacy group Common Cause North Carolina. “It’s really worrying that there’s an attempt here to make that more difficult.”
Democrats also object to the way Republicans pushed through the changes. It was added to an unrelated bill on face masks and punishment for protesters and passed the Senate without debate. Senate Democrats walked out in protest. But Republicans have a supermajority in the Legislature and the bill easily passed the House of Representatives on Tuesday.
Cooper’s likely veto will hinder a possible override of the Republican-controlled Legislature.
Stein already has a huge cash advantage in the race and has outraised Robinson almost two-to-one: Stein has $18.6 million to Robinson’s $10.55 million.
But despite the fundraising differences between the candidates, it remains a close race. Cook Political Report recently changed its rating from lean Democratic to a toss-up, guaranteeing that national political donors will send more dollars to North Carolina as the election approaches.
The Stein campaign launched its first attack ad against Robinson last week, part of a seven-figure buy that highlighted the lieutenant governor’s past comments on abortion. “Abortion in this country is not about protecting the lives of mothers,” Robinson said on a 2019 Facebook livestream in a clip used in the ad. “It’s about killing a child because you weren’t responsible enough to keep your skirt down,” he said in the clip.
