Trump Heads to North Carolina as Mark Robinson’s Campaign Reels

With somewhat awkward timing, former President Donald J. Trump plans to campaign in North Carolina on Saturday as his pick for governor , Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, faces accusations of making disturbing posts on a pornographic website.

Mr. Trump's visit to Wilmington, N.C., for a rally will take place two days after CNN reported that Mr. Robinson had once called himself a "black NAZI!" and defended slavery years ago on a pornographic forum.

Mr. Robinson, whom Mr. Trump endorsed in March , has denied the report and vowed to stay in the race. But both parties are looking closely at the fallout, which could have a spillover effect in the presidential contest, given that North Carolina is a key battleground state that Mr. Trump won twice but that Democrats see as competitive.

The lieutenant governor, who has a long history of making inflammatory and offensive remarks, is not expected to attend Mr. Trump's rally on Saturday, according to a person familiar with the program's details. Mr. Robinson was also absent when Mr. Trump's running mate, Senator JD Vance of Ohio, visited the state on Wednesday, the day before CNN released its report.

A spokesman for Mr. Robinson did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Friday. The Trump campaign avoided weighing in on the controversy when asked for comment on Friday.

Democrats, who last carried North Carolina in the 2008 presidential race, are seeking to remind voters in the increasingly competitive state about Mr. Trump's past praise for Mr. Robinson. Vice President Kamala Harris's presidential campaign released a television ad on Friday, "Both Wrong, " highlighting Mr. Trump's past warm words for Mr. Robinson and some of Mr. Robinson's past polarizing statements. At least nine electronic billboards around the state will display ads on Friday and Saturday paid for by the Democratic National Committee linking the two Republicans.

On several occasions, Mr. Trump has praised Mr. Robinson , describing him as "Martin Luther King on steroids" when he endorsed him. At a fund-raiser for Mr. Robinson last year at Mr. Trump's home in Palm Beach, Fla., the former president said Mr. Robinson was a "star" and needed to be cherished "like a fine wine."

The North Carolina Republican Party jabbed back at the CNN report on Thursday in a statement, arguing that Mr. Robinson's political foes were trying to smear him to distract from discussing issues like inflation and immigration. It did not offer further comment on Friday.

According to the CNN report, Mr. Robinson was responsible for dozens of disturbing comments on the Nude Africa site, including a message in which he recounted how, as a 14-year-old, he went "peeping" on women in public gym showers. He described fantasizing about the memory as an adult.

Mr. Robinson, whose poll numbers were already sagging before Thursday, also wrote approvingly of a return to the days of slavery.

"Slavery is not bad," he wrote. "Some people need to be slaves. I wish they would bring it (slavery) back. I would certainly buy a few."

North Carolina's open-seat contest for governor is one of the marquee contests this election cycle, pitting Mr. Robinson against Josh Stein, the state's Democratic attorney general.

Now, Republicans are reckoning with the question of whether Mr. Robinson will be a drag on Mr. Trump's chances of replicating his electoral success in the state, where the former president and Ms. Harris were tied at 48 percent on Friday, according to a polling average maintained by The New York Times.

The Republican National Committee's top two officials are both from the state. Michael Whatley was picked by Mr. Trump to lead the G.O.P. after helming the North Carolina Republican Party, and Lara Trump, the party's co-chair and Mr. Trump's daughter-in-law, is a native of Wilmington.