Sen. Thom Tillis endorses Bill Graham for governor over Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson

Prominent Republican and North Carolina U.S. Senator Thom Tillis announced his endorsement for North Carolina Governor, and his answer may come as a surprise to some. Tillis has put his support behind Salisbury lawyer Bill Graham, making him the first Republican elected official to publicly support another candidate over party frontrunner Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson. 

Qnotes readers will remember Tillis was one of 12 U.S. Republican Senators to vote in favor of the Respect for Marriage Act, which fully repealed the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act. His vote, along with the votes of others who supported the repeal, now requires all states – even those with state level amendments that bar same-sex marriages – to recognize same-sex marriages performed in states without such amendments and to allow married same-sex couples to interact with the federal government in the same manner as opposite-sex couples.

Said Tillis in reference to Robinson in an interview with the National Review: “Mark Robinson’s a good enough guy. I don’t know him that well, but he has virtually no legislative experience [and] very little business experience. 

“We’re a very, very important state and we have to have people with that kind of experience, I think, to continue this track record that we’ve had since Republicans took control of North Carolina when I became speaker. And so for those reasons, I’ve decided to support Bill.”

Tillis previously helped other Republican candidates unseat radicals within his own party, including in 2022 when he was heavily involved in the race for North Carolina’s 11th Congressional District. Tillis provided support to help then-candidate state Sen. Chuck Edwards unseat controversial Rep. Madison Cawthorn, who has since moved to Florida after losing reelection.

Tillis was later censured by the North Carolina Republican Party in a vote at the state’s annual Republican Party Convention following his vote of support for the Respect for Marriage Act.

Robinson, who was elected as North Carolina’s first Black lieutenant governor in 2020, responded to Tillis’ announcement, calling Graham “nothing but a pawn” for bureaucrats and politicians.

“They don’t think that average people should be in government,” Robinson posted in a written statement. “They think that only the elites like themselves are qualified to serve, and that those seeking office need to be vetted by them and work their way up the ladder.”

Robinson then went on to call Tillis a “RINO,” or Republican In Name Only, and then said he has already received other endorsements from more right-wing politicians. 

“I am a public servant who feels called to be a voice for the people of my state, and stand up for them,” Robinson wrote. “So while the RINO elites plot to take me down, I’ll continue to fight, and I’m honored I won’t be doing it alone.”

Robinson’s stance on LGBTQ+ issues has been clear since his first days in office. The elected official has delivered an unknown number of sermons rife with anti-LGBTQ sentiment. As recently as March 19, 2023, he claimed during a sermon he delivered in a Charlotte Metro area church that he had been called upon by God to fight against the LGBTQ+ community.

“God formed me because he knew there was going to be a time when God’s learning was going to be intolerable to the wicked,” he announced. “When children were going to be dragged down to go see the drag show. When pornography was going to be presented to our children in schools.”

He also took aim at Christian churches that are accepting and affirming of the LGBTQ+ community. “Makes me sick every time I see it,” Robinson proclaimed. “A church that flies that Rainbow flag, which is a direct spit in the face of God almighty.”

The Lt. Governor has spoken publicly and negatively about other marginalized groups, including Jewish people, Muslims, women and more.

Graham, on the other hand, is using his background to help separate him from the rest of the candidates — marketing himself as a successful attorney with plans on how to tackle issues such as gang prevention, cutting taxes, increasing unemployment and more. According to a report  from the news department of the Raleigh based television station WRAL, Graham pledged $5 million of his own money and is the only candidate with ads playing on televisions across the state.

“Bill Graham is laser-focused on winning a conservative future for North Carolina,” Graham’s campaign manager Alex Baltzegar told WRAL. “[He] is building a coalition of supporters from all swaths of the Republican Party [and] really appreciates Sen. Thom Tillis’s support.”

While Graham clearly has more experience in governance than Robinson and may adhere to standards of protocol in a more tempered manner than the often volatile Lt. Governor, he has made it clear as governor of the state, he will be taking aim at the Biden administration.