For voters disillusioned with Republican candidate Mark Robinson after a series of scandals, this year’s election for governor offers more third-party alternatives than previous campaigns.
In addition to Robinson and Democrat Josh Stein, the ballot features Libertarian Mike Ross, Constitution Party candidate Vinny Smith and Green Party candidate Wayne Turner.
While Turner’s candidacy likely draws voters from the left who might otherwise back Stein, Ross and Smith could attract voters who typically cast their ballots for Republicans.
Ross says he saw an uptick in interest in his campaign following news stories about Robinson, including the CNN report that he posted pro-slavery, Nazi comments on a pornographic website.
“There was certainly some outreach to emails, social (media), of people giving me a second look,” Ross said, adding that he also has supporters who aren’t happy with Stein’s record on criminal justice issues.
Ross is a financial planner for Gaston County who’s been involved in activist movements around homelessness and criminal justice issues.
He said he’s been frustrated by the major parties’ campaigns for governor, which haven’t included much focus on policy issues where he’d get opportunities to put forward a Libertarian alternative.
“I wanted to be talking about ways we can think outside the box and put forward policy that will make the lives of North Carolinians better while protecting our God-given rights and freedoms,” Ross said, “and the sad reality is this campaign has largely turned into an attack ad.”
While it’s clear from polling that many Republican voters have abandoned Robinson even as they continue to support former President Donald Trump, it’s hard to tell how many are now backing Ross or Smith.
“In polling, especially for third parties, we're usually not even included,” said Ross, adding that he has “no idea how it's going to turn out, but I'm pretty optimistic that I will do better than we did in 2020 and hopefully set a record.”
A recent Carolina Journal poll was one of the few to list all candidates on the ballot — rather than give voters surveyed the choice of Robinson, Stein or “someone else.” It found 2.5% of likely voters backing Ross, which would be more than the 1% that the Libertarian candidate for governor received in 2020.
Only 0.3% of the likely voters surveyed by Carolina Journal said they’re voting for Smith. The Constitution Party, which emphasizes conservative views on gun rights, abortion and taxes, only obtained ballot access within the past few months after a series of petition hurdles.
Conservative blogger Brant Clifton encouraged readers of his popular Daily Haymaker website to consider the Constitution Party this year.
“On its face, The Constitution Party looks like a safe place for principled conservatives to park their votes and express their displeasure with the antics of the Raleigh establishment,” Clifton wrote. His site now features a banner ad promoting Smith’s campaign.
In an interview with WUNC, Smith had little to say about Robinson’s struggles. He said his supporters are more concerned by the millions of dollars in outside spending funding the major party candidates for governor.
“I always say that I'm not taking any money from any special interests, no PACs or super PACs, and I think that's something that the people really hold on to,” Smith said.
Smith is a former naval intelligence officer who owns an esports business and lives in Chatham County. He’s optimistic that his campaign for governor will hit the threshold for the Constitution Party to keep its ballot access — something its candidates were unable to do in 2020.
“I have to pull 2% in the governor's race, and then, if I do so, then we maintain our ballot access, which then enables us to now build the party up, instead of having to go back and petition again, and to get ready for midterms,” he said.
So far though, polling indicates that many Republican voters are skipping over third-party candidates and throwing their support to Stein.
A Fox News poll released this week showed a 16-point lead for Stein, and the conservative news outlet wrote that “support for Stein overperforms support for (Kamala) Harris because 14% of those backing him also favor Trump in the presidential race.”
