Pinehurst Today

Republican lieutenant governor candidate Mark Keith Robinson said he initially had no desire to run for the state's second-highest ranking public position. 

His comments came during an interview with local media outlet Sandhills Sentinel while at an event Pete's Family Restaurant and Freedom for Moore organized at the Carthage in late May.

"I had no plan to run for office," Robinson told the Sandhills Sentinel for a report published on May 29. "After being approached about another office, we felt that it wouldn’t be a good fit. God put me into this position to make a change and better the nation He blessed us with. The lieutenant governor’s office will help us highlight some things that we think are important."

Robinson, who is running against Democratic candidate Yvonne Lewis Holley, told the Sandhills Sentinel that teaching the state's youth would be his top priority. 

"The most important issue in my election is education. Education touches every issue we touch today," Robinson told the Sandhills Sentinel. "I believe there is a lot of indoctrination in our public schools. I believe our public education is not set up to help children succeed in life. The ultimate goal is to take children and use what they learn in the classroom to help them succeed in life.”