RALEIGH — Last week, North Carolina Lieutenant Governor and Republican nominee for governor Mark Robinson released his public safety plan. The plan focuses on standing with law enforcement, cracking down on violent crime and dangerous drugs, and getting criminals off the streets.
“For too long, far-left career politicians like Josh Stein and Kamala Harris have made our state and country a magnet for violent crime and dangerous drugs,” Robinson said in a press release. “From ending cash bail to pandering to radical activists that want to defund the police, Josh Stein and Kamala Harris’ pro-criminal, anti-law-enforcement agenda must end.”
“My plan focuses on standing with law enforcement, cracking down on violent crime and dangerous drugs, and getting criminals off the streets and behind bars where they belong,” said Robinson.
Some key elements of Robinson’s plan include:
- Rejecting calls to defund the police and prioritizing raises for law enforcement officers in state budgets
- Reinstating the death penalty for those who kill police and corrections officers
- Requiring law enforcement to cooperate with federal immigration authorities and honor ICE detainers
- Rejecting proposals to end cash bail and appointing judges who will follow the law and not let violent criminals out with “a slap on the wrist”
In a press release, Robinson criticized the “pro-criminal, anti-law-enforcement agenda” of Democratic leaders like his gubernatorial opponent, NC Attorney General Josh Stein and that of Vice President Kamala Harris. He argued that their policies have made North Carolina a “magnet for violent crime and dangerous drugs.”
The press release cited several concerning public safety trends in the state, including a recent rise in violent attacks on law enforcement, large increases in murder in major metro areas like Charlotte and Raleigh, and growing problems with human trafficking and fentanyl overdoses.
For example, the release noted that in 2022, the Drug Enforcement Administration seized a record 386 million doses of fentanyl nationwide, “more than enough to kill every American.” Another example given was a December 2022 arrest in Iredell County where Sheriff’s deputies seized enough fentanyl to potentially kill over 26 million people – more than twice the population of North Carolina.
Regarding the border and immigration, the press release argued that since Harris was appointed border czar in 2021, “human trafficking and drug smuggling continue to plague our state.” North Carolina currently ranks 9th in the nation for human trafficking.
The plan aims to address these public safety challenges through a focus on supporting law enforcement, cracking down on violent crime and the opioid crisis, and taking a tougher stance on immigration enforcement.
In June, State Solutions Inc, a 501(c)4 group based in Washington, D.C., with ties to the Republican Governors Association (RGA) ran a web-based ad about incidences of rape having increased 53% during Stein’s two terms in office while also hitting Stein for “bragging” about his work on rape kits.
In the past week, the RGA’s Right Direction PAC announced it was investing seven figures in ad buys targeting the North Carolina governor’s race.
The most recent ad called “Dangerously out of touch,” ties Stein to Vice President Kamala Harris and the Biden-Harris administration’s “Bidenomics.” The ad underscores current inflation, high gas and food prices. The ad also quotes Stein as saying, “President Biden has done such a great job of jump-starting the economy.”
