The campaign confirms Mark Robinson treated for burns following a campaign-related incident

Republican gubernatorial candidate Mark Robinson “is currently being treated for burns,” his communications director confirmed to NBC News on Friday evening.

“Lieutenant Mark Robinson is currently being treated for burns resulting from an incident that occurred during a campaign event at Mt. Airy. He’s in good spirits,” said Mike Lonergan, communications director for the Robinson campaign.

Lonergan was responding to a question from NBC News about a NewsNation report that said the North Carolina candidate had been hospitalized.

Details about the incident are unclear.

Robinson was previously scheduled to speak at Saturday’s Faith & Freedom event in North Carolina, but the event organizer said Friday evening that the event had to be canceled, noting that there was no power in the hall. Hurricane Helene wreaked havoc in parts of North Carolina, especially in the western region of the state where the event was scheduled to take place.

The incident comes just days after a shocking CNN report that the lieutenant governor posted anti-Semitic and racist comments on a pornographic website years ago.

Days after the story broke, four of the embattled Republican’s top campaign staffers stepped down, although the campaign did not link the departures to the report.

Robinson remained defiant in the face of the allegations, even as some Republicans expressed concern about the report. Robinson denied the allegations.

Harris’ campaign aimed to link Robinson to former President Donald Trump, who endorsed him before the CNN report was released, in hopes that the controversy over Robinson’s candidacy would help Democrats put the state blue. In 2020, Trump won North Carolina by a slim margin, and Republicans admitted it would be difficult for them to win the White House without the state.