Vernon Robinson
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Background
Vernon Robinson is a prominent conservative Black politician residing in Winston Salem, NC.
Robinson served his country as a Missile Combat Crew Commander and Intelligence Officer in the Air Force, and graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy with a B.S. in Middle Eastern Affairs, he received an MBA from the University of Missouri, and has also been a business professor at the Winston-Salem campus for the University of North Carolina.
North Carolina 5th district Congressional Race
Vernon Robinson was an unsuccessful candidate in the July 20, 2004 primary for the Republican Congressional nomination for North Carolina 5th congressional district seat in the 2004 election for U.S. House; the seat was being vacated by Richard Burr. Robinson is an African American.
His 2004 campaign highlighted issues regarding illegal immigration. In particular, one radio advertisement was temporarily removed from radio stations due to concerns regarding Federal Communications Commission regulations. The advertisement ended with a message in Spanish which translates to "Yo, gringo! This episode of 'The Twilight Zone' was paid for by Robinson for Congress." The radio station, WSJS, was concerned that the FCC might take issue with the non-English disclaimer, but restored the commercial when assured that foreign language campaign commercials we're legal. Robinson takes a socially conservative stance on a number of other issues, and has been referred to as the "Black Jesse Helms" by the Winston-Salem Journal. Robinson frequently charged his primary opponents as being big tax-raisers, homosexual rights supporters, felons, possibly exaggerating the truth of their records. Although many prominent Republicans initially endorsed his candidacy, one, Jack Kemp, withdrew his endorsement.
In an eight-way primary for the Republican nomination, Robinson pulled 24% of the vote, falling short of the 40% threshold required to avoid a runoff primary. The following month, he polled only 45% against fellow challenger Virginia Foxx, losing his shot at a seat in the solidly Republican district.
Public Service
Vernon Robinson at one time worked for President George H.W. Bush during his administration. He is currently serving his second term on Winston Salem's City Council as one of only two Republicans.
He was the chief author of North Carolina's Charter School Act and has founded two non-profit corporations: One promotes school choice and the other provides scholarships to private schools for children from low-income, inner-city homes.
External links
- Robinson for Congress (http://vernonrobinson.com/index.shtml)
- Fiery Black Conservative Running For Congress in North Carolina (http://www.gopusa.com/news/2003/october/1010_robinson_congress.shtml)