Black advocates demand Mark Robinson withdraw from governor ...

NAACP North Carolina has called for N.C. Lt. Governor Mark Robinson to leave the race for governor, according to a statement from the organization.

“Lt. Governor Mark Robinson’s rhetoric, rooted in hate, undermines the very values of civil rights and the dignity of our citizens. North Carolina deserves leadership that unites and uplifts, not one that divides. Robinson is unfit for office, and we call for his immediate withdrawal from the gubernatorial race,” Deborah Dicks Maxwell, president of NAACP North Carolina State Conference, said.

According to its website, the NAACP North Carolina State Conference “educates, advocates, litigates and empowers” communities to advance the lives of Black people in the state.

In the statement sent Thursday, the organization called for Robinson to immediately withdraw from his campaign for governor following “harmful and dangerous rhetoric” from the candidate.

Robinson has been surrounded by controversy recently, from making transphobic comments to anti-abortion statements and even sharing pro-slavery rhetoric. A CNN report published Thursday alleges that the candidate referred to himself as a “Black Nazi” and a “perv,” among other disturbing statements, on a porn website.

The NAACP North Carolina strongly condemned anyone, particularly public officials, associated with extremist views like those allegedly shared by Robinson.

Robinson has denied that the statements were his.

“Such beliefs are not only deeply troubling but have no place in North Carolina’s political discourse,” the statement read.

Despite recent events, Robinson has vowed to remain in the race.

Read CNN’s report on Robinson.