Far-right MAGA candidate losing in a 'blowout' and dragging Trump down with him: poll

Far-right North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson's bid for governor appears to be in trouble — and furthermore, it seems to be jeopardizing former President Donald Trump's own chances of carrying a state he narrowly won twice.

A new poll from SurveyUSA found Robinson trailing Democratic state Attorney General Josh Stein by a whopping 48-34. Vice President Kamala Harris, meanwhile, is up on Trump by a hair in a near-tie, at 46-45.

Robinson, a gun-rights activist who shocked the political world with his under-the-radar win for lieutenant governor four years ago even as Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper won re-election, has come repeatedly under fire for controversial past statements, including that he is skeptical of the Holocaust, that America was better before women had the right to vote, that school shooting survivors are "prosti-tots," that Beyoncé is "Satanic," that former NFL star Ray Rice's girlfriend had her domestic abuse coming to her, and that America might be controlled by lizard people.

He has also faced scrutiny over his personal career, with accusations he failed to file income taxes for five years and that he and his wife falsified paperwork on the qualifications of employees they hired for a day care facility they once owned.

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In recent weeks, Robinson has tried to soften his image, going from calling abortion "genocide" to admitting his wife had one.

Robinson is not the only statewide candidate complicating the election for the North Carolina GOP. Homeschooling activist Michele Morrow unexpectedly unseated the Republican incumbent in the primary for Superintendent of Public Instruction, where she has come under controversy for past social media posts urging Trump to declare a military coup in 2020 and proclaiming her belief that the Chinese Communist Party stationed troops in Canada to rig the U.S. election.

Nor are the GOP's problems isolated to North Carolina. In several battlegrounds, Trump loyalists have won the nomination for competitive races; another such candidate is Kari Lake, who after refusing to accept her loss in the 2022 Arizona gubernatorial election secured the nomination for Senate this year. Even Trump himself has reportedly soured on her amid fears she can't win.