Sources inside North Carolina’s Republican establishment tell NOTUS they’ve all but given up on MAGA psychopath Lt Gov Mark Robinson’s gubernatorial bid over weak polling numbers and a constant stream of bad press about his degenerate ways. “For Robinson to win, he will need to be on offense for a consistent period or for Trump to considerably overperform his 2016 margin,” said Republican strategist Doug Heye, who long warned that Robinson would be toxic in a general election. “Not impossible, but neither of those seem likely,” Heye continued, with his assessment of the race against Dem Attorney General Josh Stein, who holds a massive cash advantage.

“I said this would happen over and over again, and so I don’t know why it’s a surprise to people. He can’t moderate his positions now because, at this point, the average voter has a decidedly set opinion about him. And the hits keep coming,” said 2024 GOP gov primary loser Bill Graham.

“As far as for swing voters, there was little to no definition for Mark Robinson coming out of the primary, and the Josh Stein campaign has done a very effective job of defining him to that universal swing voter first,” said Republican strategist Paul Shumaker, who backed Graham’s bid.

Robinson himself seemed to acknowledge the predicament two weeks ago, saying “if nothing changes on the fundraising front, not only do we risk losing this race, but the White House too,” in an acknowledgement that the mythical “reverse coattails” effect could come true in the Tar Heel state.