Mark Robinson<\/a>, North Carolina\u2019s lieutenant governor and Republican gubernatorial candidate, skipped a vote on declaring a state of emergency in advance of Hurricane Helene<\/a>\u2019s arrival to the southern state, according to a report.<\/p>\n Robinson, who has been under attack recently over alleged racist and explicit posts<\/a> on a pornography website\u2019s message board, was the only council of state member who did not vote on Democratic governor Roy Cooper\u2019s emergency declaration, WRAL News reported<\/a>.<\/p>\n Cooper sought the declaration from top North Carolina<\/a> electeds in the state\u2019s executive branch on 24 September so he could mobilize a robust response to Helene. The vote enabled Cooper to more easily mobilize rescue vehicles and issue evacuation orders.<\/p>\n