North Carolina Gubernatorial Candidate Mark Robinson Hospitalized After ‘Incident’ At Truck Show

Republican North Carolina gubernatorial candidate Mark Robinson, elected as the state’s lieutenant governor in 2020, was hospitalized Friday while campaigning at a truck show, the Associated Press (AP) reported.

Robinson suffered second-degree burns during his appearance at the Mayberry Truck Show in Mount Airy, campaign spokesperson Mike Lonergan revealed in a statement, according to the AP.

Big Trucks, Big Fun! Thank you, Mt. Airy. pic.twitter.com/aBkr7uJbZJ

— Mark Robinson (@markrobinsonNC) September 28, 2024

Robinson was treated at Northern Regional Hospital, the outlet reported. North Carolina’s lieutenant governor remains in “good spirits” following the “incident,” campaign staffer Matt Hurley wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter).

Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson is currently being treated for burns following an incident at a campaign event in Mt. Airy. He is in good spirits.

— Matt Hurley (@mhurleyofficial) September 28, 2024

WSOCTV reporter Joe Bruno posted a longer statement from Robinson’s campaign revealing the lieutenant governor is “excited” to continue campaigning Saturday.

“This evening following an incident at a campaign appearance at the Mayberry Truck Show in Mt. Airy, Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson was treated at Northern Regional Hospital for second-degree burns. He is in good spirits, appreciates the outpouring of well wishes, and is excited to return to the campaign trail as scheduled first thing tomorrow morning,” the statement reads.

From the Robinson campaign:

“This evening following an incident at a campaign appearance at the Mayberry Truck Show in Mt. Airy, Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson was treated at Northern Regional Hospital for second-degree burns. He is in good spirits, appreciates the outpouring of well…

— Joe Bruno (@JoeBrunoWSOC9) September 28, 2024

Robinson “burned his hand leaning against a truck” at the event, Washington Post reporter Amy Gardner wrote late Friday on X. She added Robinson “is fine and home now.” (RELATED: Swing State Purges 747,000 Names From Voter Rolls)

Mark Robinson attended a truck show in Mt Airy NC tonight. He burned his hand leaning against a truck and was taken to the hospital. I’m told by an official source that he is fine and home now.

— Amy Gardner (@AmyEGardner) September 28, 2024

The North Carolina gubernatorial candidate has faced criticism after CNN reported Robinson called himself a “black NAZI!” decades ago on a pornography website’s message board.

CNN’s report on Robinson’s alleged “disturbing comments” was published hours before North Carolina’s Sept. 19 deadline for candidates to withdraw from the ballot. Robinson said Tuesday his campaign has hired a law firm to investigate the CNN report, according to the AP.

“Let me reassure you, the thing that’s you will see in that story, those are not the words of Mark Robinson. You know my words. You know my character. And you know that I have been completely transparent in this race and before,” Robinson said in a video statement the day the CNN report came out.

I wanted to take a minute to address the latest outrageous lies coming from my opponent’s dishonest campaign: #ncgov #ncpol pic.twitter.com/RtteVUiozr

— Mark Robinson (@markrobinsonNC) September 19, 2024

Despite voting for former President Donald Trump in the 2020 election, North Carolina has been run by Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper since 2017. Democratic North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein is challenging Robinson for the office of governor.

North Carolina is among the battleground states being closely watched to possibly determine whether Trump or Vice President Kamala Harris will win the White House in November 2024. Trump currently leads Harris by 1.4% in North Carolina, polling data from the RealClearPolitics average shows.