'Republicans are running away': Ex GOP governor won't publicly back Trump after scandal

A former Republican governor of North Carolina refused Monday morning to throw his support behind Donald Trump as he warned CNN's damning Mark Robinson report and another surprise factor could cost the former president the state.

Pat McCrory, who served as governor from 2013 to 2017, told anchor Kasie Hunt Monday that Trump potentially lost up to 30,000 votes when CNN broke a stunning exclusive that linked the Republican gubernatorial nominee to controversial comments left on a porn site.

"[It] could make the difference in the presidential campaign right here in North Carolina," McCrory said. "The Republicans are running away from Robinson as quick as they can."

Trump's problems are worsened by the fact Robinson, who denies the report, has not yet proved able to discredit accusations he showed support for Nazism, slavery and transgender pornography under an anonymous user name before entering public office, McCrory argued.

The former Republican governor argued it was suggestive Robinson had not heeded the call of Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) to either defend himself with legal action or step aside.

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"If that sort of report was directed toward me when I was running for office, I'd be fighting like the dickens," McCrory said. "He doesn't seem to be doing that."

McCrory warned Trump's campaign could ill afford the scandal considering how little on-the-ground campaigning he's seen in the state where Vice President Kamala Harris is hitting voters hard with ads linking the former president to Robinson.

The former North Carolina governor also noted thousands of votes could make a difference in a state where about 5.5 million showed up to polls in 2020 and delivered a win to Trump by less than 75,000 votes.

What's more, North Carolina and other key swing states saw an influx of new voters as Americans left major cities during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic.

"They've never voted in North Carolina and these are tens of thousands of people," McCrory said. "I think that's the unknown, is what type of voter moved during COVID to the sunbelt states."

Asked for whom he would cast his ballot, McCrory refused to comment.

Hunt replied that McCrory was "a former Republican governor of North Carolina not saying you're going to vote for Donald Trump."

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