Thom Tillis Exposes Mark Robinson's Binary Choice Following Controversy

He can either accept responsibility for his actions or immediately take legal action against those who reported Robinson's alleged posts on a pornographic forum.

“If the Mark Robinson story is a complete fabrication, he needs to take immediate legal action,” Tillis said in a message on X.

“If what he says is true, he owes it to President Trump and all Republicans to take responsibility for his actions and put the future of North Carolina and our party before himself,” he added.

Tillis is one of two Republican senators from North Carolina and a prominent voice among Republicans in the state. After a CNN report revealed that Robinson, the North Carolina lieutenant governor, had allegedly posted homophobic, anti-Semitic and racist messages on a website called “Nude Africa,” Tillis suggested Robinson’s race was no longer winnable that same day.

“It was a tough day, but we have to stay focused on the races we can win,” Tillis posted on X Thursday, hours after CNN's report about Robinson was published.

“We must ensure that President Trump wins North Carolina and support the outstanding Republican candidates running in key NCGA and judicial elections. If Harris wins North Carolina, she will win the White House. We cannot let that happen,” he said.

Sen. Ted Budd (R-NC) commented on Robinson's allegations Thursday, saying, “The allegations are concerning, but we don't have any facts. So we're going to wait until the weekend and piece that together.”

There was already pessimism about Robinson's victory in the race against Democratic candidate Josh Stein, who leads with 49.2% to Robinson's 39.8%, according to RealClear Policy average of the polls.

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This data predates the recent Robinson scandal, which saw pollster Larry Sabato move the North Carolina gubernatorial race from “Lean D” to “Likely D.”

Robinson could have dropped out of the race Thursday, but decided to stay in the race. The state Republican Party released a statement that day endorsing Robinson and also saying, “The left needs this election to be a contest about personality, not a contest about policy, because if voters focus on policy, Republicans win on Election Day.”