Until recently, Tennessee governor Bill Lee, the chairman of the Republican Governors Association (RGA), was scheduled to appear as a “special guest” at a September 24 fundraiser benefitting North Carolina’s GOP gubernatorial nominee, Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, in Greensboro, N.C., according to an event invitation obtained by National Review.
That event is no longer happening, and Lee will not be traveling to North Carolina, according to a source familiar with the matter. The fundraising shake-up comes amid a firestorm of new allegations that CNN published Thursday alleging that years before Robinson was elected to statewide office in North Carolina, a username associated with his email address was used on a porn site messaging board. According to the report, Robinson allegedly called himself a “black Nazi” and defended reinstating slavery, among other unsavory comments posted by the account. Robinson has denied the allegations and the North Carolina Republican Party is standing by his candidacy.
It’s unclear how much the RGA plans to continue to spend in ads on Robinson’s behalf leading up to Election Day. North Carolina and New Hampshire have long been seen as the best gubernatorial opportunities for Republicans this cycle.
Spokesmen for the RGA and Robinson did not immediately respond to a request for comment from NR about why the fundraiser was canceled.