RALEIGH, North Carolina – We're just weeks away from 2024 when election season will get into high gear. In North Carolina, the first black American to be elected lieutenant governor is setting his sights on the top spot.
Mark Robinson is a man devoted to his faith, family, and the people of his state. CBN News sat down with Robinson who talked about his conservative beliefs and what it's like to swim upstream as a black Republican.
A fiery speech five years ago in a Greensboro City Council meeting put Robinson on the political map.
"You want to turn around and restrict my right, constitutional right that's spelled out in black and white. You want to restrict my right to buy a firearm and protect myself from some of the very people you're talking about in here tonight. It's ridiculous," he challenged the council.
He sees that moment as a divine appointment.
"I believe He put me behind that podium to help make change. And so my wife and I sat down and talked about it and realized if we want to make change, we have to go where change is made. And so we decided to run for office; we decided on lieutenant governor, and here we are," he told us.
Robinson says the best part of being North Carolina's second-highest elected official is serving the people of the "Tar Heel State."
"I am amazed about the amount of extremely intelligent, highly motivated people here in North Carolina. And I get to meet a great number of those people, and that's my favorite thing about this position," he said.
The lieutenant governor is the only elected official in North Carolina with powers in both the executive and legislative branches of government. Robinson presides over the North Carolina Senate. He calls it his second favorite part of the job.
Still, as a black Republican in the world of politics, Robinson consistently feels pushback.
"The major question that people always ask me is, 'Why are you a Republican?' And I just tell them simply; I tell them the story," he explained.
That story he says is how Republicans became the driving force behind the country's "first real civil rights legislation" resulting in the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments to the Constitution.
"End of slavery; they gave equal protection under the law; they gave black men the right to vote," he explained. "Republicans all along the way have shown the great spirit that is this country, in making sure that everyone has equality, and we've always stood for that. And that's the reason why I'm a Republican."
And he's not shy about sharing his stance on current issues like the weaponization of government.
"What's going on right now with our justice system in this country is not what was intended. Our justice system is now being politicized for the exact wrong reasons, and I believe that everyone in this nation should be very concerned and should seek a resolution to that issue," he said.
Robinson built his campaign for lieutenant governor on a platform of "common sense conservatism," viewing the life issue, education, and the right to bear arms through that lens.
What does "common sense conservatism" say about the life issue?
"The Declaration of Independence mentions 'life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.' You can't pursue the happiness, you can't have liberty if you don't have life. And so 'common sense conservatism' says that you fight for life; you fight for life in the womb; you fight to ensure that as many babies can be born as possible to make sure that you save those lives in the womb," he said.
A devoted husband, father, and grandfather, Robinson sees his faith in Jesus Christ as his moral compass.
"Absolutely, always, it always is, and it continues to get stronger and stronger as I go," he said.
And his journey includes running for governor next year. A win there also would be historic as a black man has never held the highest office in that state.
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