Republican Mark Robinson won North Carolina’s race for lieutenant governor, making him the first black person to serve in that office in the state.
“To come from a poverty-stricken background with all the strikes against me and succeed at this level, I think should give every American, no matter what the color, no matter what the gender, hope that they too can succeed in this great place,” Robinson said of his victory.
Robinson defeated Democratic candidate Yvonne Lewis Holley in the race for the state’s second-highest elected office.
“The way I’m feeling is the old cliche, you know, like walking on cloud nine. It hadn’t hit me yet,” Robinson said.
Robinson said that, as a lover of history, the opportunity to be called the first black person to serve in the office means a lot to him.
He campaigned as a champion of the anti-abortion movement, protecting the Second Amendment, and defending school choice programs.
“In the capacity of being an elected official, I have to leave my opinion outside the door,” Robinson said. “I will never lay down my principles, what I believe in, but my opinions need to be left at the door.”
Robinson hopes to have an open dialogue with his constituents during his term while finding common ground with the state’s Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper.
“It’s not my opinion that should run this state or should run this office,” Robinson said. “It’s the will of the people that should run the office and what they want done and what they need done and what they need from me.”
