No, Stein shouldn't give Robinson a platform.

Don't give him the credibility he's never earned.

Lieutenant Governor Mark Robinson is calling for a debate with Attorney General Josh Stein. Of course he is. Robinson is trailing by double digits in the North Carolina governor’s race and running out of money. He needs the free air time and a platform that offers him the credibility he’s never earned. Stein shouldn’t give it to him.

Over the last few weeks, Mark Robinson has been debating himself—and losing. So far, he’s supported a 12-week abortion ban, a six week abortion ban, and total abortion ban. Why would anybody stand on a stage with a guy who lies this easily? Robinson will say anything for applause or votes.

Giving Robinson a debate platform would acknowledge that he’s a serious and credible candidate. He’s not. He’s an internet creation and a Republican fantasy candidate—a homophobic, xenophobic Black man who mocked the Civil Rights Movement and called Martin Luther King, Jr., a communist. He’s little more than a grifter who conned a political party full of ignorance, arrogance, and bigotry into nominating him for governor. He doesn’t deserve any more of our attention and certainly shouldn’t be rewarded for dragging such hate into the political arena.

Besides, Stein has already given Robinson a platform. The Attorney General has spent millions of dollars to amplify Robinson’s own words in ads that let Robinson tell on himself. Robinson told us how little he thinks of women and how much he enjoys violence. Stein helped him get that message out.

Mark Robinson had four years as lieutenant governor to make himself into a serious candidate, toning down his rhetoric and moderating his views. He could have spent that time learning the role of the governor and trying to build the broad support necessary to govern a closely divided state like North Carolina. He didn’t do it. Instead he chose to keep making outlandish statements to audiences that rarely included people from outside the GOP base. Now, he wants Stein to award him a broader audience on debate stage. It doesn’t work that way.

Stein, in contrast, is a serious candidate with a record of leading and governing. He’s spent eight years as attorney general and has earned respect from people across the state and even the nation. He’s built a robust campaign over almost two years and has traveled the state offering voters his vision and asking for their support. He knows that the job of governor is to serve all the people of the state and, unlike Robinson, has no record of making disparaging remarks about the people he’s supposed to serve.

We don’t need to learn more about these two candidates because Mark Robinson has told us all we need to know. This is not a race between two people with differing views of how to manage our state. It’s a race between Josh Stein, who has built a career in public service and now manages a huge government organization, and Mark Robinson, a guy who probably couldn’t pass a background check to manage a Wendy’s.

Robinson’s call for a debate is a Hail Mary play. He’s out of money and out of time. He can’t save himself so he’s asking Stein to help him recover from his self-inflicted wounds. There’s no reason for Stein to throw him a lifeline. Let Robinson sink in the cesspool of lies and hateful rhetoric that he created for himself and let’s hope we never have to hear from him again after November 5.