North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein (D) has rejected a debate with Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson (R) in their gubernatorial race, citing the many controversial statements the GOP nominee has made throughout his career.
Stein campaign spokeswoman Kate Frauenfelder said in a statement that engaging with Robinson for a debate would only give him a platform to spread “his vile and dangerous rhetoric.”
“Mark Robinson has spent his entire public life spewing hate, lying about his record, and spreading dangerous and false conspiracy theories. A debate would only serve to legitimize him and provide a platform for his vile and dangerous rhetoric, and we won’t be part of that,” Frauenfelder said.
Stein had previously indicated he expected he would debate Robinson but stayed noncommittal, while Robinson had been pressing Stein for debates and already agreed to participate in one with Spectrum News. He challenged Stein to a debate directly in a post on the social platform X on Tuesday.
Robinson has rallied enthusiasm among those on the right as a fierce defender of gun rights and close ally to former President Trump, but his career has also been marked by controversy surrounding a wide range of comments he has made concerning numerous groups.
He has described homosexuality and “transgenderism” as “filth,” called Muslims “invaders” and made derogatory comments about Jews and Black voters who support Democrats. He has also referred to abortion as “murder” and “genocide,” though he has seemingly softened his stance on the issue during the campaign.
Stein’s campaign has gone after Robinson particularly on the issue of abortion, accusing him of being an extremist.
Robinson’s campaign slammed Stein’s decision on the debate, arguing it is not fair to North Carolina voters.
“Stein’s refusal to participate in a debate deprives North Carolina voters of a gubernatorial debate in the general election for the first time in decades,” said Mike Lonergan, the communications director for the Robinson campaign. “This proves that his empty talking points about democracy are nothing more than cheap cynicism from a dishonest and self-serving career politician taking North Carolina voters for granted.”
Stein has argued that “democracy is on the ballot” this year in North Carolina, with a Republican supermajority in charge of the state Legislature and pushing through various electoral reforms.
Polling has signaled reason for optimism for Stein; he has opened up a 12-point lead in the polling average kept by The Hill/Decision Desk HQ.
But members of both parties have said they ultimately expect a closer finish in the battleground state, which has a history of tight races. Polling in both of the past two gubernatorial races underestimated the Republican’s performance by several points.
A gubernatorial nominee passing on debates against their opponent is not unheard of in recent times. Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs (D) rejected debating Republican Kari Lake during their gubernatorial race in 2022, on similar grounds to Stein’s rationale for not debating Robinson.
Hobbs narrowly defeated Lake to be elected governor by less than 1 point.
But it’s been decades since such a decision was made in North Carolina. The New York Times reported that if Stein and Robinson ultimately do not debate, it will break a tradition in the state intact since 1972.