The controversy surrounding a Republican gubernatorial candidate in North Carolina is causing political turmoil in a hotly contested swing state that Donald Trump must win at all costs. The BBC asked conservatives there what they think of the alleged scandal.

They learned the news during a regular meeting of the Johnston County Republican Women’s Committee.

Across North Carolina, Republicans and Democrats alike awaited the bombshell revelation about Republican Lieutenant Governor Mark Robinson on Thursday.

The former furniture maker and current politician, who is running to be the state’s first black governor, called himself a “black Nazi” on a porn website over a decade ago, according to a CNN report.

Robinson, who describes himself as an evangelical Christian, called the report “tabloid lies.” The BBC has not independently verified CNN’s claims.

But when the news finally broke, it caused little stir, at least not among this polite group of women in Johnston County.

“If the allegations are true, he and his wife will have to deal with it. It’s none of my business. It’s a marital matter,” said Adele Walker, 52.

Shortly thereafter, the group discussed their planned $200 donation to his campaign, in which he is already trailing Democratic candidate Josh Stein, the state’s attorney general.

“We have decided to donate even more money to Mr. Robinson,” she said.

The opinions of conservative women like Walker will be closely watched this election, not just in North Carolina but across the U.S. The Tar Heel State is home to one of the closest races in the country, and the November election is just around the corner.

Trump had previously praised Robinson highly, calling him “Martin Luther King on steroids.”

Even before the CNN revelations were published, Robinson was under surveillance.

He faced backlash for comments made in a 2019 Facebook video about abortion on demand in which he said women should be “responsible enough to keep their skirts down.”

In 2021, he said children should not learn about “transgenderism, homosexuality and all that crap” in school, and later rejected calls for an apology.

“I think the Robinson campaign could be described as a disaster at this point,” said political scientist Steven Greene of North Carolina State University.

Some Republicans fear Robinson could become a political liability, keeping their voters home or boosting Democratic turnout.

North Carolina has remained “stubbornly Republican,” Greene said. Barack Obama was the only Democrat to win the state in 44 years, and he did so only once, in 2008.

But the state’s growing urban centers have shifted the political tide in favor of Democrats who hope this is the year they can turn North Carolina blue.

An Emerson College Polling/The Hill poll released Thursday, before the CNN report on Robinson was released, showed Harris leading Trump by one percentage point.

This is still well within the margin of error, meaning the outcome of the race is completely open.

This state is crucial for the Republican candidate for the White House, Greene said.

“It’s much harder to imagine Donald Trump reaching the 270-vote mark without North Carolina than it is for Kamala Harris to reach that number,” he said, referring to the number of electoral college votes needed to win the U.S. presidency.

Scott Lassiter, a Republican candidate for the state Senate, expressed disappointment that Robinson did not drop out before the state’s deadline on Thursday, allowing another party candidate to take his place.

Lassiter said Robinson was a gift to Democrats who “would love it if every race on the ballot at this point was all about Mark Robinson.”

Robinson, who used to regularly attend Trump’s campaign rallies in the state, will reportedly not attend the former president’s rally in Wilmington on Saturday.

But the people who were close to Robinson stand by him.

Guilford County Republican Chairman Chris Meadows said he has known Robinson, who is from the area, for years.

“Our position is that these are unproven allegations and accusations,” he said.

“In this age of improving artificial intelligence, I really think all this is believable as long as he doesn’t admit it.

“CNN has had major credibility problems for several years.”

Ultimately, the presidential race will come down to voter turnout, Greene said, and it is unclear what influence Robinson will have on that.

He was already known for his absurd statements. People’s opinions were probably already largely predetermined, he said.

In Johnston County, this certainly seemed to be the case.

A Republican voter who wished to remain anonymous said he would not vote for Robinson because he believes he has a “big mouth.”

But he has no problem voting for Trump.

“I don’t know what Trump knew about Robinson. The news about Robinson has no impact on me,” he said.

Evelyn Costelloe, 66, who has voted Republican in the past but not recently, said she would support Democrats because of their stance on abortion. And Robinson’s comments didn’t help her either, she said.

“I don’t know about all these allegations, but I know what he said. Things like this definitely make me want to vote,” she told the BBC.

Given that Trump won North Carolina by only about 75,000 votes in 2020, even a small amount of political damage from Robinson could make a difference.

Currently, however, North Carolina remains a deep shade of purple.

North America correspondent Anthony Zurcher analyzes the White House election campaign in his weekly newsletter US Election Unspun.

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