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Mark Robinson’s recent inflammatory remarks and his fundraising struggles could pose significant challenges to his gubernatorial campaign in North Carolina.
His Democratic opponent, Attorney General Josh Stein, has significantly outpaced him in fundraising, amassing $18.6 million compared to Robinson’s $10.55 million. Against this backdrop, Republicans passed a campaign finance proposal that modifies how funds are allocated to state parties and changes the reporting requirements for these donations. Democrats argue that these changes aim to allow donors to support Robinson without directly associating their names with his candidacy.
Morgan Jackson, senior adviser to Stein and Governor Roy Cooper, criticized the legislation, suggesting it enables donors to hide their support for Robinson. The Democratic governor is expected to veto the bill, which may then face an override attempt from the Republican supermajority.
The bill allows national political groups to donate unlimited amounts to state parties and affiliated political committees, potentially bypassing campaign finance reporting requirements. Critics argue this enables wealthy donors to back candidates through untraceable donations, using state committees as intermediaries.
The North Carolina Republican Party defended the bill, claiming it rectifies a perceived imbalance favoring Democrats from a 2020 advisory memo by the State Board of Elections. They argue the changes restore fairness in campaign finance laws. Republicans assert the measure levels the playing field by addressing disparities in donation classification between the Democratic Governors Association (DGA) and the Republican Governors Association (RGA). The DGA separates corporate donations, while the RGA does not. Current state law prohibits corporations and labor groups from directly donating to political candidates.
The changes also potentially reduce the State Board of Elections’ ability to oversee contributions, raising transparency concerns. Ann Webb from Common Cause North Carolina emphasized the importance of public understanding of campaign finances in such a crucial gubernatorial race.
Democrats also criticized the manner in which the changes were introduced, noting they were added to an unrelated bill and passed without debate, prompting Senate Democrats to walk out in protest. Despite these objections, the bill easily passed the House due to the Republican supermajority.
While Stein holds a substantial cash advantage, the race remains competitive, with the Cook Political Report recently shifting its rating from lean Democratic to a tossup. This close competition ensures that national political donors will continue to invest heavily in North Carolina as the election approaches. The Stein campaign has already launched its first attack ad against Robinson, focusing on his controversial comments on abortion.
