Split-ticket North Carolina voters spare Trump on the battlefield

Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson (R-NC) refused to withdraw from the 2024 election after reports emerged detailing Robinson’s history of posting vulgar, anti-Semitic comments on pornographic websites. Robinson has previously courted controversy after a series of inflammatory comments made during his political career.

Early voting began in the state on Oct. 17, and while North Carolina GOP voters appear to solidly support Trump, a significant number of early voters in Mecklenburg County, which includes the greater Charlotte metropolitan area, said Washington Examiner they split their tickets and voted for Robinson’s opponent, Democratic state Attorney General Josh Stein.

Jackie Pitts of SouthPark, a Charlotte suburb, has voted for Trump in every election since 2016, including this cycle, but said the Robinson scandals prompted her to vote for Stein on Tuesday.

“My son-in-law told me he was a moderate and organized a fundraiser for him,” she explained. “It’s a mess.”

Linda Gillespie, another SouthPark resident, similarly split her ticket for Trump and Stein, but claimed she did so because she agreed with Stein’s policies and recognized his history.

“I read what he did, and yes, I agree with his policy on what he did,” she said. “I want to vote for the best candidate. That’s why I look at it. Whether they’re Democrats or Republicans, it’s just – the most important thing is just to do your research.

Still, some Republicans weren’t concerned about Robinson’s sordid past.

John DeBerry, who lives in Matthews, southeast of downtown, actually voted all Republican, but he said that Washington Examiner has “concerns” about Robinson.

“It may be questionable in nature, but ultimately everyone has to be on the same page to make real change,” he said. “I want as many Republicans there as possible to be able to control the House and the Senate so we can actually make some real changes.”

“It was hard, but I made the decision right away,” added IT specialist JW Sams.

Trump and North Carolina Republicans have kept Robinson at arm’s length since he refused to end his candidacy. State party officials removed Robinson from some voter education publications before early voting began earlier this month, although his signs are still displayed across the state.

Robinson did not campaign alongside Trump at any events in North Carolina this week, and his last appearance with Trump was in August.

Moreover, the former president avoided answering a question Monday about whether he would continue to pressure voters to vote for the Republican candidate for governor.

“I’m not familiar with the state of the race,” he told reporters. “I didn’t see it.

Republican strategists have previously expressed concerns Washington Examiner about Trump’s support for Robinson this spring.

“It’s Herschel Walker again,” lamented one GOP veteran. “We can’t just elect candidates because they are fools for President Trump.”

With less than two weeks until Election Day, Trump is well ahead of Robinson in the polls.

The former president is ahead of Vice President Kamala Harris by 2.5 points, and Robinson is more than 15 points behind Stein. Real clear policy poll average.

Trump held four events in North Carolina this week, including rallies in Charlotte, Greensboro and Greenville and a visit to Asheville, which is still recovering from Hurricane Helene.

Harris won’t visit North Carolina herself this week, but her running mate, Gov. Tim Walz (D), will hold a rally in Wilmington on Thursday.

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The last time North Carolina lost a presidential election was for former President Barack Obama in 2008, and he will hold his own rally in Charlotte in support of Harris on Friday.

The Washington Examiner reached out to the Trump and Robinson campaigns for comment.