From bribery to affairs, here are some of NC’s most dramatic moments in political history

As the fallout continues from CNN’s report on Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson’s alleged history of graphic and disturbing online comments, some on social media are referencing North Carolina’s history of political scandals.

Here’s a look at some of the most momentous incidents in the state’s political history.

Former NC House Speaker Jim Black involved in bribery, party-switching scandal

The former speaker of the North Carolina House, Jim Black, a Democrat, was plagued by scandal from 2005 to 2007 involving the state lottery, bribery and a lawmaker who switched parties.

Following charges of public corruption and bribery, Black was sentenced to 63 months in prison, the N&O reported.

Black pleaded guilty to bribery for giving $50,000 to former state Rep. Michael Decker, who switched parties to allow Black to stay in power. He also pleaded guilty to accepting $29,000 in payments from chiropractors while “pushing legislation that favored them,” The N&O reported.

Cash allegedly exchanged hands in restaurant bathrooms, including a Salisbury IHOP.

Black was released from federal prison in 2010.

At least five people connected to Black were convicted of crimes related to these investigations.

Vice presidential nominee John Edwards charged with using campaign funds to cover up affair

John Edwards, a nationally recognized attorney who went on to become one of North Carolina’s US senators, reached the apex of his career when he became Democratic Senator. John Kerry’s vice-presidential running mate in the 2004 election.

He and Kerry lost the race to former President George W. Bush, but Edwards launched another presidential campaign in 2006.

It was during this campaign that reports emerged that Edwards was having an affair, just a few years after his wife had been diagnosed with incurable cancer.

Eventually, Edwards admitted to having an affair with one of his campaign staffers, Rielle Hunter, who had just had a child. He at first denied, but later admitted, to fathering the child.

In 2011, a grand jury indicted Edwards on six criminal charges, saying he used nearly $1 million in illegal campaign donations in an effort to cover up the scandal.

A jury found Edwards not guilty on one charge and deadlocked on the rest of them, leading to a mistrial. The case was never retried.

Billionaire campaign donor involved in bribery scheme, taking down NC GOP chair

In 2017, Greg Lindberg, a North Carolina billionaire and campaign megadonor, initiated meetings with Mike Causey, the state’s insurance commissioner, about the regulations on his insurance firm.

What followed was several years of investigation into bribery and wire fraud, culminating in the ousting of the chair of the state Republican Party, Robin Hayes, who pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI.

After Lindberg began pushing Causey to get rid of a regulator, the insurance commissioner contacted federal authorities, who got him to wear a wire and record his conversations with Lindberg.

As he was pressing Causey, Lindberg donated around $250,000 worth of political support for his campaign and offered even more if his demands were met.

Meanwhile, Hayes had allegedly coordinated with Lindberg to ensure the NC GOP would receive millions in donations in exchange for favorable treatment of Lindberg’s company.

In 2019, Lindberg and Hayes were indicted for their roles in the scandal.

Hayes pleaded guilty, and was pardoned by former President Donald Trump in 2021.

Lindberg was found guilty of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and bribery in 2020, but later had his conviction overturned and won a new trial. He was then convicted a second time.

NC GOP congressional candidate Mark Harris involved in ballot harvesting scheme

Republican Mark Harris, a North Carolina pastor, was involved in a ballot-harvesting scandal during his 2018 congressional campaign that ended in a new election being called and a political operative receiving criminal charges.

In his general election, Harris initially appeared to be winning against his Democratic opponent, Dan McCready. However, the State Board of Elections refused to certify the results after allegations surfaced about a scheme to illegally collect absentee ballots.

The investigation led to dramatic testimony in state hearings, wherein Harris’ own son said he had concerns about the operative running the absentee ballot campaign, McCrae Dowless. Harris himself then called for a new election, which he did not participate in.

Dowless was charged with several counts of obstruction of justice and possession of absentee ballots. He died last year while awaiting trial.

Harris is now running for Congress again in the 2024 elections.

Despite calling for a new election himself in 2018, he later referred to the case as a “manufactured scandal that resulted in the Democrat-controlled State Board of Elections not certifying our victory,” when he announced his 2024 campaign.

US Senate candidate Cal Cunningham loses election after affair scandal

Cal Cunningham, North Carolina’s Democratic candidate for US Senate in 2020, lost his race to Republican Thom Tillis after a damaging story about an affair surfaced just a month before the election.

Cunningham, a former state senator and retired military officer, admitted to exchanging sexual texts with a public relations strategist who was not his wife. The woman, whose husband was an Army veteran, said she had a consensual physical relationship with Cunningham.

The affair ended Cunningham’s campaign and led to an investigation by the US Army Reserve.

Cunningham received 46.9% of the vote in 2020, losing to Tillis, who received 48.7%.

Republican congressman Madison Cawthorn’s sole term marked by controversy

One-term Republican US Rep. Madison Cawthorn’s tenure was marked by controversy, including salacious comments about fellow members of Congress, allegations of insider trading and charges of bringing a gun to an airport.

Cawthorn was elected to the US House in 2020 after running a controversial campaign.

His opponent in the race published a 2017 Instagram post in which Cawthorn had visited Adolf Hitler’s vacation home and wrote it had been “on my bucket list for years.”

Critics also raised concerns that symbols associated with Cawthorn suggested he had ties to white nationalism. He was also accused of sexual misconduct during the campaign.

He took office at only 25 years old, becoming one of the youngest members ever elected to the US House.

During his time in Congress, Cawthorn promoted false conspiracy theories about fraud in the 2020 election and voted not to certify the Electoral College results.

In March 2022, Cawthorn gave a viral interview in which he discussed the “sexual perversion that goes on in Washington.” In the interview, he said members of Congress had invited him to orgies and donated cocaine in front of him.

This incident led to backlash from top Republicans, including then-Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who called Cawthorn into a meeting after the interview.

In 2022, Cawthorn was detained at the Charlotte-Douglas Airport for having a loaded handgun in his luggage. He pleaded guilty to the resulting charge.

Cawthorn lost his reelection bid in the 2022 primary to Republican state Sen. Chuck Edwards, who went on to win the seat in the general election.