RALEIGH — Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson’s campaign says a super PAC is touting a ‘misleading’ endorsement of Christian Castelli in the competitive 6th District Republican primary for Congress.
A statement posted on Robinson’s X account states in part, “A Washington, DC PAC is circulating a video falsely claiming to announce an endorsement by Lt. Governor Mark Robinson in North Carolina’s Sixth District Republican primary. This claim is false; the DC super PAC is taking video from a previous election cycle and wrongly presenting it as an endorsement in this year’s race.”
The links for the recent video, produced by a group called First Freedoms Foundation, clips a video Robinson did for Castelli in 2022.
In 2022, Robinson did endorse Castelli in the general election when he ran against Rep. Kathy Manning. Castelli lost that race by nine points, 54% to 45%. The district was redrawn in 2023.
“We are in the process of sending a cease-and-desist letter and are exploring all legal options,” said Robinson’s campaign communications director, Mike Lonergan.
The 6th District primary features six Republican candidates: Castelli, Greensboro resident Mary Ann Contogiannis, 2022 13th District nominee Bo Hines, Davidson County native Addison McDowell, High Point Mayor Jay Wagner and former Rep. Mark Walker.
Former President Donald Trump has endorsed McDowell in the race. Walker, who served three terms in the U.S. House, has said many of his former colleagues support his return to Capitol Hill.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
