Mark Robinson, the embattled Republican candidate for North Carolina governor, has been treated for burns in hospital after an “incident” at a campaign event.
His representatives did not detail what had occurred but said Robinson was recovering from second-degree burns and in good spirits after an “incident at a campaign appearance at the Mayberry Truck Show”.
It comes days after several senior advisers resigned from his campaign in the wake of allegations that more than a decade ago the candidate made racist comments on a porn website’s message board under the username ‘Black Nazi’.
Robinson, who is running to be the state’s first black governor and has previously been endorsed by Donald Trump, has denied the reports.
Robinson had been attending a campaign event in Mount Airy, a city located near the border of North Carolina and Virginia, at the time of the latest incident.
He was taken to hospital and treated for burn injures. Second-degree burns are the most common type of burns. While not as severe as third-degree burns, they are injuries causing pain redness swelling and blistering of the skin.
Robinson’s representatives said he would resume public campaigning on Saturday.
The candidate has been campaigning this week – resisting pressure from state Republicans and also reportedly Trump’s team to exit the race.
A CNN report published on 19 September said he had posted comments on a porn site’s message board more than a decade ago, where he referred to himself as “black Nazi” and in one post allegedly said he preferred Hitler to then-President Barack Obama.
Robinson, who was elected North Carolina’s first black lieutenant governor in 2020, branded the report “tabloid lies”, and said those postings had not been his words.
Days after the report was published, his campaign manager, deputy campaign manager, finance director and senior adviser all resigned.
Robinson has previously received direct public support from Donald Trump, who had called him “Martin Luther King on steroids”, but he has not been seen with the Republican presidential nominee since the release of the report.
Trump has held two rallies in North Carolina since then and on Thursday, when asked if he would withdraw his endorsement he told told reporters: “I don’t know the situation.”
Kamala Harris’ campaign has also seized on the controversy around Robinson’s campaign, releasing a video. Polling has shown Harris and Trump effectively tied among likely voters in the potentially pivotal swing state.
