GOP candidate for governor of North Carolina, Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, says it’s time to “move on” from abortion to more important problems, like the economy.
Why it’s important: People across the country, on both sides of the line, are very concerned about abortion. If Roe v. Wade is overturned, the governor’s signature could make it even harder to get an abortion in North Carolina after 12 weeks, or it could even lead to a complete ban on the practice.
Quickly catch up: For the most part, Robinson said in a campaign ad that he agrees with the current 12-week ban. But he told WSOC recently that he would sign a bill that would allow abortions after six weeks.
Robinson was asked by Axios about the mixed messages at a business luncheon on Tuesday afternoon. “Why do I need to clarify that in the ad?” he asked. “The people spoke.”
- “I don’t get to decide this by myself,” he said. A group of 120 House members and 50 senators listen to my view and agree on something. This is called consensus. People, it’s time for us to move on… Right now, it doesn’t matter what I think about that because I don’t get to make that choice. Yes, you do. What your officials do through you, we will sign.
- He said that his view mattered when he was a “social media influencer,” but not when he was a politician.
- Robinson then said he thought going to six weeks wouldn’t turn away business. He said that the economy of Florida “is firing on all cylinders.”
- “I hate to get political with this, but oftentimes, they want to bring it up because they want to move away from the things that I just talked about,” he said.
The big picture: A lot of people in the Democratic Party talk about abortion a lot. This is especially true in North Carolina, which used to be a safe place to get care. At almost all of their press conferences, they talk about abortion. For example, the Harris for President campaign held a press conference the same day that Trump held a rally in Charlotte.
- Harris held her own protest here on September 12. She said that Robinson “wants” a total ban, which made the crowd boo.
Zoom out: Robinson said Tuesday that his campaign is focused on the economy and its five pillars: public safety, health care, infrastructure, housing, and most importantly, public education. He then took questions from the crowd.
“Right here in North Carolina, we have a fantastic opportunity to build a fantastic economy if we concentrate on that,” he said. “They want to keep revisiting this (abortion) issue.”