Republican candidate for North Carolina governor and current Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson made a campaign stop at B-52s American Bar and Grill in Newton on Thursday morning.
Around 100 supporters were in the restaurant to hear from the candidate and show their support.
Elise Pendleton of Hickory said she came to hear Robinson. She said she was planning to enthusiastically vote for him. Pendleton said schools, immigration and the border were her top concerns.
North Carolina Lieutenant Governor Mark Robinson signs a campaign hat at an event in downtown Newton on Thursday.
She said Robinson’s experience as lieutenant governor made him a good choice for governor.
He knows the function of the job,†Pendleton said. “He has the values that I have, and he is going to do an amazing job.â€
“I’m voting for someone that will represent me in government and represents my views as far as a Christian man,†Pendleton’s husband, Steve, said. “I feel that Mark is that person. He’s a guy with his head on straight and knows where our government needs to go.â€
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Sherrills Ford resident Gary Mauney said the economy was a top issue for him.
“I believe in Mark Robinson’s conservative views on a lot of things,†Mauney said. “I believe our House and Senate in North Carolina will stay Republican, and we need a Republican governor to help them do the things they want to do.â€
Robinson speaks with Catawba County Board of Commissioners Chair Randy Isenhower while board member Austin Allran listens.Â
Mauney’s brother, Mark Mauney, agreed. He added he was concerned about allowing transgender athletes to compete in sports that aligned with their gender identity.
“Are we for men in women’s sports? No,†Mark Mauney said. “We don’t transgender over to something that we think we are. There’s a lot of things that need to be fixed in this country. Our kids are going to grow up, and they are going to think that it’s OK when it’s morally and biblically not correct.â€
Robinson spoke with supporters, signed hats and answered questions before stepping behind the bar and giving a speech.
“This election’s real simple,†Robinson said. “This election boils down to two things: It boils down to lies and the truth.â€
Robinson spent the first part of his speech addressing controversies surrounding his campaign. Robinson said comments from 10 years ago were irrelevant as they had no impact on the operations of state government.
Robinson also addressed allegations about unsafe conditions at a daycare run by his wife.
“That was one of the proudest moments of my life,†Robinson said about running the daycare. “We ran an absolutely wonderful daycare center and the ads you see on television are lies.â€
Robinson also talked about the economy. He said several times throughout his speech that the state was broke when Josh Stein, his Democrat opponent in the gubernatorial race, was in the state legislature. He claimed the state’s ranking by CNBC as one of the top states for business is an achievement he helped secure as lieutenant governor.
During the speech, Robinson also addressed public education.
“Statistically speaking, K-12 students in this state can’t read on grade level,†Robinson said. “That’s a great big, fat F. And it’s not the fault of our teachers.â€
Data released Wednesday from the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction said 50% of students in third through eighth grades scored at a level meeting or exceeding proficiency in reading on end of grade and end of course tests.
After the speech, Robinson addressed issues in education.
“Too many agendas are being pushed in our classrooms, and we all know what they are,†Robinson said. “We proved this with our FACTS Task Force. There’s a lot of political maneuvering being done in the classroom. A lot of social engineering being done in the classroom. We need to get back to classical education.â€
The FACTS Task Force was an initiative of the lieutenant governor’s that collected allegations of indoctrination in public schools, according to the initiative’s website.
Protestors outside restaurant
Across the street from the restaurant, around 30 protestors gathered. Some protestors were holding signs supporting Stein. Some protestors held signs saying they supported women’s rights and a few poked at some controversies surrounding Robinson.
Around 30 protesters gathered across the street from B-52s American Bar & Grill during a Mark Robinson campaign event.
Brenda Sigmon of Conover was one of the protestors. She said she was concerned about Robinson’s stances on public education.
“I am worried, so worried about education in North Carolina,†Sigmon said. “Everything that Mark Robinson has espoused, from vouchers to not raising teachers’ salaries, all these things are just draining, draining North Carolina’s ability to educate our young people. This is so wrong in my opinion.â€
Robinson entered and exited through the back of B-52’s and was not seen by the protestors.
Supporters of Democrat Josh Stein protest outside of a Republican Mark Robinson campaign event in downtown Newton. Robinson and Stein are both running for the position of North Carolina governor in the 2024 elections.
