Before Mark Robinson, North Carolina's GOP candidate for governor, even stepped on stage at the state party's convention Saturday, several state candidates took time in their own speeches to energize the crowd by vouching for Robinson's gubernatorial bid.
When the state's lieutenant governor did take to the stage more than an hour and a half into the NCGOP Convention's Old North State Dinner in Greensboro, Robinson started off his fiery speech denouncing the media for focusing too much on Donald Trump's ongoing criminal and civil trials and not the “failures of the Democratic Party.” He also shared his vision for the state, which he said centers around improving the economy and education.
“Trust me, there are enough people in this state who are talented enough and share the vision that we have that we can make this a reality, folks,” Robinson said during his speech, which was livestreamed by Triad television outlet WGHP.
The 55-year-old Republican is embroiled in one of the most hotly contested gubernatorial races of the 2024 election against his Democratic opponent and state Attorney General Josh Stein. Robinson's brash political style has intrigued Trump supporters, as well as the former president himself, who formally endorsed Robinson in March at a Greensboro rally and called him “Martin Luther King on steroids.”
Robinson has also caught the attention of critics who say his rhetoric on the LGBTQ community and restricting abortion access should be a cause for concern. The Greensboro native has previously defended his past remarks by saying he can separate his religious views from public office and wants to make North Carolina a “destination state for life.”
Calling himself “part of the winning team” during his speech, Robinson credited Republican policies with the state's economic success and stressed the role of the governor's office — under his leadership — to preserve that success.
“North Carolina is literally on the cusp of exploding economically,” Robinson said. “It’s time for us to direct that explosion in the right way and cause this state to be something better than it already is.”
Education in North Carolina is another priority for Robinson, who said the state's education system is "in shambles." But the state of education isn't at the fault of teachers, Robinson said, adding that he puts schoolteachers in the same category as police officers.
North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum also was a keynote speaker at Saturday's dinner, where he started off his speech calling Robinson the state's next governor. He also reiterated sentiments from Republican National Committee co-chair Lara Trump and her husband, Eric Trump, who both spoke at the convention Friday, that North Carolina will be an important state in 2024 that could “determine the actual direction of our entire country.”
FILE - North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, Republican candidate for governor, speaks at an election night event in Greensboro, N.C., Tuesday, March 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton, File)
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden’s reelection campaign is spending $50 million through the end of June, a blitz that includes its first television ad trumpeting Donald Trump’s felony conviction and signals that the Democratic incumbent is seeking to make his Republican opponent’s legal woes a bigger issue heading into November.
The advertising push comes with Election Day still more than five months away. But Biden's campaign says it wants to more clearly define the choice between the candidates ahead of the first debate between them in Atlanta on June 27.
The ad campaign includes more than $1 million geared toward media reaching Black, Hispanic and Asian American voters and a spot highlighting Trump's conviction on 34 felony counts in a New York hush money case. It will air on general market television and connected TV on streaming devices and cellphones in battleground states as well as on national cable.
Besides Trump's criminal conviction, the ad, titled “Character Matters,” notes the former president also was found liable for sexual assault and financial fraud in separate proceedings. Trump also faces felony charges in three other criminal cases, none of which may go to trial before the November election.
“This election is between a convicted criminal who's only out for himself and a president who's fighting for your family,” intones the ad's narrator over images of a Trump mug shot and Biden high-fiving supporters.
Biden also has frequently talked about Trump’s 34 felony convictions while decrying the former president for claiming that the case against him was politically motivated. Biden argues that “it’s reckless, it’s dangerous, it’s irresponsible for anyone to say this was rigged just because they don’t like the verdict.”
Biden's son Hunter last week was convicted in Delaware of three felony charges related to the purchase of a revolver in 2018, when, prosecutors argued, he lied on a mandatory gun purchase form by saying he was not illegally using or addicted to drugs. The president has said he would accept the outcome of the case and “continue to respect the judicial process as Hunter considers an appeal.”
A central part of Biden’s reelection strategy is also highlighting Trump’s policy proposals for a second term and firing up disaffected Democrats and independent voters. Still, the campaign producing an ad that leans heavily into Trump's conviction and including it in such a large advertising buy indicates a renewed effort to make Trump’s legal problems an election issue in ways Biden’s team previously resisted.
"It’s a stark contrast, and it’s one that matters deeply to the American people,” Biden campaign spokesman Michael Taylor said in a statement. “And it’s why we will make sure that every single day we are reminding voters about how Joe Biden is fighting for them, while Donald Trump runs a campaign focused on one man and one man only: himself.”
Trump has denied any wrongdoing and has argued, without evidence, that Biden or Justice Department officials orchestrated the New York case against him for political reasons. He and his allies also have raised the prospect of prosecuting political opponents in revenge if he returns to the White House.
Trump campaign spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said that the Biden administration had “weaponized the justice system against President Trump" and that the contrast between her candidate and Biden "will be very clear on the debate stage.”
Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign event at 180 Church, Saturday, June 15, 2024, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)
From left, Maisy Biden, Naomi Biden, President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden walk to depart on Air Force One from Los Angeles International Airport, Sunday, June 16, 2024, in Los Angeles. Biden is returning to Washington after a campaign event. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
President Joe Biden is seated during a campaign event with former President Barack Obama moderated by Jimmy Kimmel at the Peacock Theater, Saturday, June 15, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
