‘We are staying in this race’: behind the unraveling of Mark Robinson’s campaign in North Carolina

Mark Robinson , North Carolina’s Republican candidate for governor, had been trying to extricate himself from problems caused by his own words long before CNN dumped a truckload of dirt on him Thursday afternoon .

Robinson has treated outrage over his ever-increasing litany of racist, sexist, homophobic, homophobic and antisemitic offense as a badge of honor during the course of the campaign and his term as the state's lieutenant governor.

Mark Robinson has not led in a poll since June ; even before CNN ’s revelations, the withdrawal of Joe Biden from the race in July threatened to turn a close race into a rout.

Robinson has been walking back his previous, strident calls for a total abortion ban in North Carolina .

A conservative Carolina Journal reports that the Trump campaign has been pressuring Robinson to withdraw from the race.

Trump campaign officials denied that they had been pressuring the lieutenant governor to quit.

The Stein campaign released a terse statement shortly after the CNN piece aired.

The Harris campaign has gleefully circulated videos with Trump praising Robinson .