DeWine and Robinson: Two Faces of the Post-Trump GOP

In the past 24 hours, we've learned that Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, the far-right screwball candidate for North Carolina governor, was active on porn sites between 2008 and 2012, called himself a Black Nazi, and even defended slavery. Some reports suggest that this material was leaked to CNN by Republican sources who hoped to pressure Robinson to leave the race, against yesterday's deadline. Robinson has denied the report and says he is staying in. But if you look at the actual CNN report, it's crystal clear that CNN nailed him and this issue will only loom larger.

Meanwhile, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine published a thoughtful op-ed piece in demonstrating what principled Republican leaders used to look like. He fondly recalled growing up in Springfield, defended Haitian immigrants as contributors to the town's manufacturing revival, and deplored the inflammatory lies of Trump and Vance.

As a Midwestern conservative with small-town values, DeWine sounded like a Republican version of Tim Walz. But as a partisan Republican, DeWine tried to thread the needle and obliquely wrote that despite these outrages he was still voting for Trump. "As a supporter of former President Donald Trump and Senator JD Vance, I am saddened by how they and others continue to repeat claims that lack evidence and disparage the legal migrants living in Springfield."

So—will Republican voters who share DeWine's values follow his ambiguous lead by holding their noses and voting for Trump despite his lies, racism, and efforts to promote violence? Or will they conclude that enough is enough and vote for Harris?

Similarly, will a small number of principled North Carolina Republicans decide that Robinson is a lying thug, and vote for his Democratic opponent, Josh Stein? You would think that on the Christian right, porn would be a deal-breaker. But that didn't stop evangelicals from voting for Donald Trump, who didn't need porn sites because he had his very own porn star in the flesh, as it were.

Assuming that Harris wins the presidency, there questions profoundly affect the post-Trump Republican Party. Droves of former Republican officials have said they will be voting for Harris. And we can wishfully look to figures like DeWine to normalize the two-party system. But even if Trump loses, MAGA will be all too powerful. The proof is that if Robinson is defeated for governor in North Carolina, it will likely be by a few points.

The alliance between corporate elites and the neofascist base is still far too powerful. What's needed is more courage by traditional Republicans like DeWine, who is still intimidated by the MAGA base and can't quite bring himself to break with Trump. To coin a phrase, it's the electorate, stupid.