The Republican candidate for governor of North Carolina rebuffed calls Thursday to drop out of the race following a report that he called himself a "Black Nazi" and made other incendiary comments on a porn website message board.
A number of Republican officials in North Carolina are reportedly pressuring Mark Robinson to drop out, fearing his candidacy could impact the presidential contest between the party's nominee Donald Trump and Democrat Kamala Harris.
The battleground state of North Carolina, where Robinson is currently serving as lieutenant governor, is expected to play a pivotal role in the November White House election.
Robinson denounced the report by the CNN cable television network as "salacious tabloid lies."
"We are staying in this race," Robinson said in a videotaped message. "We are in it to win it."
Asked about the CNN report about Robinson, Karoline Leavitt, a Trump campaign spokeswoman, said "President Trump's campaign is focused on winning the White House and saving this country.
"North Carolina is a vital part of that plan," Leavitt said.
Robinson, who has been endorsed by Trump, is currently trailing his Democratic opponent Josh Stein in the polls and his campaign has been dogged by some of his controversial past comments such as calling the Holocaust "hogwash."
According to CNN, Robinson was active more than a decade ago on the message board of a porn site called "Nude Africa," calling himself a "perv" and a "Black Nazi" and making lewd and sexually graphic comments.
Robinson, who is African American, also attacked civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr, calling him a "commie bastard," CNN said.
He also allegedly said on the message board that slavery is "not bad... I would certainly buy a few."
As a candidate, Robinson has pushed for a ban on abortion after six weeks of pregnancy, denies climate change and is a strong advocate for gun rights.