Mark Robinson, the Republican nominee for governor / Photos by Jason Benavides

Aug. 16. By Mark Washburn. Mark Robinson sought to shed the image of a radical political tyrant and donned instead the cloak of reason and experience in an address Thursday to the Lake Norman Chamber of Commerce.

Robinson, the Republican nominee for governor against Democrat Attorney General Josh Stein in November’s race, has been shown in attack ads blustering against abortion rights.

But, Robinson told the crowd of more than 100, those images were recorded before his political career began, back when he was less mature and worked as a social media influencer and pundit, where exaggerated postures were part of the routine.

Mark Robinson addressed a crowd of more than 200 at the LKN Chamber luncheon

“TV ads will tell you I’m this crazy guy with two heads who’s going to yell at you all the time,” Robinson told the crowd.

But, he said, he recognizes that policy is not built on one viewpoint.

It is a process of negotiation in the General Assembly and what emerges are laws more acceptable to all.

Robinson, known as a hard-line conservative, has said he stands by the state’s present abortion law, which limits abortions to the first 12 weeks of pregnancy. He said does not intend to use the next four years in struggles over social issues.

Instead, Robinson said, North Carolina needs to improve key services to continue its rapid ascent in growth and economic prosperity.

Emphasis on schools

“Education is absolutely the key to the future of this state,” he said, adding that preparing students for college should not necessarily be the primary goal. North Carolina’s community college system, he said, churns out career-ready graduates headed for six-figure salaries in industrial and service sectors.

“We’re competing on a world stage,” Robinson said. “We need to commit to giving our children a world-class education.”

He added that foundational pillars of education – reading, writing, math, civics and financial literacy – must be stressed in curriculums.

Robinson also said he wanted to improve services offered by the Department of Transportation, Department of Environmental Quality and Department of Motor Vehicles.

Using the example of Amazon’s delivery system, Robinson said, “Wouldn’t it be nice if our government worked with that efficiency?”

Defusing abortion issue

When entering the NorthStone Country Club in Huntersville for the chamber luncheon, Robinson was met by more than a dozen demonstrators, some holding signs about the abortion issue.

Mark Robinson was met by demonstrators outside of NorthStone Country Club prior to the LKN Chamber luncheon

In an interview with Cornelius Today after his remarks, Robinson explained why he launched a series of TV ads in which he and his wife disclosed their own abortion.

He said he believed the Stein campaign was going to use his admission of the abortion, originally made in 2012 on Facebook when he was a media influencer, in campaign attacks and sought to head them off.

In the TV ads, Robinson and his wife Yolanda discuss the 1989 abortion with regret.

Robinson told Cornelius Today that Yolanda had gotten pregnant before they married and they opted for abortion, a decision he said pains them still.

But, Robinson said, it had a positive effect – his wife has heard from many women who made the same choice and have the same regrets. It has been therapeutic, he said, for them to share their experiences.

Robinson received a standing ovation, while Stein’s audience, in comparison, offered only polite applause on May 23 when he addressed the Chamber.

Stein focused on the improving economic climate in North Carolina and its increasing popularity as a place to locate new businesses and technology centers.

Stein also told the group that he would try to free entrepreneurs from governmental red tape and seek to help small, minority and women-owned businesses compete for state contracts.”