Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson to join Trump, Cawthorn and Budd at NC rally this weekend
North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson will join former President Donald Trump at his rally in Johnston County this weekend.
Robinson, who was elected as lieutenant governor in 2020, is among three new guest speakers who were announced on Wednesday, all Republican elected officials.
U.S. Reps. Dan Bishop, of North Carolina’s 9th Congressional District, and Greg Murphy, of the 3rd district, will also speak at the rally, according to an update from rally organizers.
The rally will be held at The Farm at 95 in Selma, which is approximately 30 miles southeast of Raleigh.
Trump held a rally at the same venue in Selma just days before the 2016 presidential election. Former Vice President Mike Pence also rallied a crowd of supporters at the Farm at 95 in October 2020, in support of Trump’s reelection.
Previously announced speakers include U.S. Reps. Madison Cawthorn of the 11th district and Ted Budd, who represents the 13th district and is running for the seat being vacated by retiring U.S. Sen. Richard Burr.
Budd was endorsed by Trump last year, and is running against former N.C. Gov. Pat McCrory, former U.S. Rep. Mark Walker and military veteran Marjorie Eastman for the Republican nomination.
In a video posted Wednesday on Rumble, a video sharing platform popular among conservatives, Trump promoted his upcoming return visit to Selma and reiterated his support for Budd, who he said was a “great conservative.”
“He’s going to be a tremendous senator, he’s taken the lead now very substantially in the polls, and we’re going to get him an even bigger lead,” Trump said in the video.
A poll released on Tuesday by Emerson College and the news outlet The Hill showed Budd leading McCrory among likely voters by 16 percentage points.
Candidates holding separate fundraisers before rally
Doors will open at the rally at 2 p.m., and guest speakers are scheduled to begin taking the stage at 4 p.m. Trump will deliver his remarks at 7 p.m.
Before the rally, however, a number of the candidates speaking at the rally will be holding individual fundraisers for their campaigns.
Trump is holding a fundraiser of his own, hosted by the MAGA, Again! PAC. (The former president has teased running for a second term in 2024, but hasn’t announced a campaign yet.) An invitation to the rally obtained by The News & Observer says guests will have the opportunity to join a private round-table event, take a photo with Trump, and receive priority seating at the afternoon rally. Tickets for the fundraiser cost $25,000.
Budd, Cawthorn and Bo Hines, a political newcomer who played football at N.C. State and Yale, and is now running in the newly redrawn 13th district, are hosting their own fundraising events before the rally.
For more North Carolina government and politics news, listen to the Under the Dome politics podcast from The News & Observer and the NC Insider. You can find it at https://campsite.bio/underthedome or wherever you get your podcasts.
This story was originally published April 6, 2022 at 3:17 PM.
