Top Mark Robinson campaign aides quit

North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, North Carolina's Republican nominee for governor, announced a major staffing shakeup Sunday, days after CNN reported that he had called himself a "black NAZI" on an online porn forum.

The big picture: Robinson, who denies making comments outlined in the CNN investigation, announced in a statement that his top adviser Conrad Pogorzelski; Chris Rodriguez, campaign manager; Heather Whillier, finance director; and Jason Rizk, deputy campaign manager "have stepped down from their roles with the campaign."

• "I appreciate the efforts of these team members who have made the difficult choice to step away from the campaign, and I wish them well in their future endeavors. I look forward to announcing new staff roles in the coming days," Robinson said.

Zoom in: Pogorzelski said in a text message Axios: "The reports are true that I, along with others from the campaign have left of our own accord."

• He said in addition to those announced that political director John Kontoulas, political director Jackson Lohrer and director of operations Patrick Riley had also resigned.
• Representatives for Robinson did not immediately respond to Axios' request for comment on these other resignations.

Between the lines: Robinson had seen his poll numbers slide in the months before the CNN report, as other past incendiary comments he's made came under the spotlight.

Zoom out: Robinson said in his statement that polls had "consistently underestimated Republican support in North Carolina for several cycles now and with a large portion of the electorate still undecided as we continue to ramp up our efforts across the state," he's confident his campaign remains in a strong position to win on Nov. 5.

• Doug Heye, a Republican strategist from North Carolina told Axios over the phone that the staffing overhaul "doesn't matter because the campaign was already over."

The intrigue: Former President Trump endorsed Robinson in the Republican primary for governor, but the GOP presidential nominee made no mention of the lieutenant governor while campaigning in Wilmington, N.C., on Saturday.

Go deeper: Democrats see path to N.C. victory following Robinson bombshell

Editor's note: This article has been updated with new details throughout.