Mark Robinson skipped vote to declare Hurricane Helene a state of emergency

Mark Robinson, North Carolina’s lieutenant governor and Republican gubernatorial candidate, skipped a vote on declaring a state of emergency in advance of Hurricane Helene’s arrival to the southern state, according to a report.

Robinson, who has been under attack recently over alleged racist and explicit posts on a pornography website’s message board, was the only council of state member who did not vote on Democratic governor Roy Cooper’s emergency declaration, WRAL News reported.

Cooper sought the declaration from top North Carolina electeds in the state’s executive branch on 24 September so he could mobilize a robust response to Helene. The vote enabled Cooper to more easily mobilize rescue vehicles and issue evacuation orders.

Eight of the nine council of state members voted for the declaration, according to WRAL – everyone except for Robinson. Cooper has since sent more than 700 members of North Carolina’s national guard to areas reeling from the wrath of Helene, which has left at least 166 dead and hundreds missing in six states; Joe Biden also green-lighted the governor’s request for expedited federal help.

Guard members have rescued more than 400 people and numerous animals in western North Carolina in the wake of historic flooding and landslides that washed out roads, dramatically complicating search efforts. More than 347,000 remain without electricity in North Carolina.

Some of the hardest-hit areas, including Asheville, are struggling to find clean water. Some residents are boiling water and bathing in creeks, according to The Washington Post.

Robinson has hammered on Cooper’s response to Helene even though he didn’t vote on the emergency measure, saying on social media Tuesday: “The time for politics is over. We are talking about saving people’s lives here.”

“North Carolina must follow the lead of successful governors like [Florida Republican governor Ron DeSantis]. Cut the red tape. Stop waiting on federal resources and allow private industry in to assist with rescue and recovery efforts, and repair infrastructure immediately.”

“This is a life and death situation,” he said.

WRAL said it remained unclear why Robinson did not respond to the vote. Robinson’s office did not comment directly to WRAL on why he opted out. His chief of staff, Krishana Polite, said that he was visiting areas impacted by Helene.

“All hands on deck means just that, including the hands of every single elected official in this state,” she said in a statement obtained by WRAL. “We need to be boots on the ground, working to rescue the citizens of this state – just as Lieutenant Governor Robinson and his team have been doing 24/7 for days now.”

Robinson is running against Democrat Josh Stein, the state’s attorney general. Numerous Republicans have distanced themselves from Robinson in the wake of the controversy over alleged message board posts, which he has denied writing.