LOGANVILLE, Ga. (WGHP) — North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson is slated to speak at a rally in Georgia amid a lineup of speakers known for denying the results of the 2020 election among other conspiracy theories.
The Faith Over Fear Rally is scheduled for May 13, 2023, in Loganville, Georgia. Robinson is one of a few featured speakers that includes former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Kandiss Taylor, Kentucky gubernatorial candidate Eric Deters and U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.).
Also in attendance is Mack McGregor, a former candidate for Georgia’s lieutenant governor who appeared on the leaked database of Oath Keepers membership; media personality Kelly Walker; Deon Black, a “Conservative commentator” who goes by Poetic Patriot online; and Cooper Jacks, who represents the group GATR (Georgia Teen Republicans).
Many of the guests have been accused of perpetuating false claims about election integrity, including Robinson himself, who tweeted that the 2020 election, in which he was elected, was “rife with overt fraud.”
Robinson, who recently announced his run for North Carolina governor, is advertised first among the primary speakers in the rally. The rally does not appear on his campaign website’s “events” tabs, nor does any of his social media advertise his speaking at this rally.
Currently, State Treasurer Dale Folwell, Attorney General Josh Stein and Libertarian candidate Mike Ross are also running for governor, with former Rep. Mark Walker (R-N.C.) expected to announce a run in the coming weeks.
None of the candidates have any upcoming speaking engagements currently listed on their campaign sites.
Tickets are between $5-$350 dollars, ranging from a basic ticket to a Mother’s Day brunch to a VIP dinner with the speakers.
Lucretia Hughes
The rally is hosted by Lucretia Hughes of Fallback Productions Studios and host of “Real News with Lucretia Hughes.”
Hughes is a conservative activist who came into the public eye in June of 2022 after testifying in front of Congress about gun control laws. Hughes lost her son to gun violence and is a staunch advocate against gun control.
Conservative organization Turning Point USA describes Hughes as a “conservative activist for God, family, country and Trump.” She’s also on multiple NRA committees and part of several conservative groups in Georgia, according to the biography on their site.
Hughes has frequently questioned the 2020 election, posting claims of fraud that have been repeatedly debunked on her public social media channels. She has also expressed support for candidates in the 2022 midterm elections that questioned the results of their own elections, such as Kandiss Taylor, who is also speaking at the Faith Over Fear event, and Kari Lake.
Kandiss Taylor
Kandiss Taylor ran for governor of Georgia in 2022. She did not concede the primary election when she lost by a margin of 70 points.
Taylor has been accused of perpetuating false claims about stolen elections, stating that she believes Georgia should have gone to former President Donald Trump in 2020, asking on Twitter “how many more times” will people “allow” elections to be stolen and calling for elected officials to be removed from office and a “paper ballot” vote to be held. She also claimed that presidential election results were going to be decertified in Wisconsin, which did not happen.
Taylor campaigned for governor in a bus emblazoned with the words “Jesus, Guns, Babies.” She also released a video advocating the destruction of the Georgia Guidestones, calling them “symbols of human sacrifice” and a tool of the “New World Order,” a conspiracy theory that claims that the world is under the control of a global, “one-world” government.
Taylor took to Telegram after her video was released, claiming to be the only candidate “bold enough” to stand up to the “Luciferian Cabal” according to The Daily Beast.
The Georgia Guidestones
The Georgia Guidestones have long been the center of conspiracy theories; the mysterious stone tablets were erected by an anonymous benefactor and contain “guidelines” written in multiple languages. The Guidestones offer advice on how to maintain human society and have often been the target of conspiracy theorists, according to an article from Georgia Encyclopedia.
The Guidestones were erected in 1979 by a man using the alias R.C. Christian. His true identity was only known to two people involved in the creation of the Guidestones, who have both since died. A documentary filmmaker made a project that alleges that R.C. Christian was an Iowa doctor named Herbert Kersten, who was allegedly a member of right-wing conspiratorial groups like The John Birch Society and had expressed support for the KKK in his lifetime according to a letter he apparently sent to the Sun-Sentinal.
The Guidestones were demolished after being damaged in an explosion last year.
Eric Deters
Eric Deters is running for governor in Kentucky and has also expressed belief in false claims of a stolen election, as well as downplaying the significance of the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol.
He released a video on Twitter speaking to his followers about the subject, titled “Concerned about election fraud?” on March 2, and recently pleaded guilty to chasing his nephew with his truck and sending harassing messages to his sister-in-law.
“I am the only Republican gubernatorial candidate who says McConnell’s gotta go, they stole the election and January 6 was much ado about nothing,” Deters said in Sept. 2022, according to the Lexington Herald-Leader.
Byron Donalds
U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.) represents the southwest part of the state including Fort Meyers and Naples and is part of the conservative Freedom Caucus.
He recently gave his endorsement to Trump for the 2024 presidential election. His name was also put forward during the protracted battle for speaker of the House and he challenged Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) for House Republican Conference Chair.
The New Republic notes that Donalds’s wife is associated with Moms for Liberty, a group that has taken on school boards across the country, challenging books they deem “inappropriate.”
Donalds and Robinson are the only two speakers appearing at the Faith Over Fear Rally who have won an election.
Election fraud
Election officials have repeatedly said there is no evidence of significant fraudulent activity in any recent elections. False claims about election fraud led to a nearly $800 million settlement between Dominion Voting and Fox News, with another lawsuit from Smartmatic looming.
WGHP reached out to Robinson’s office and campaign for comment about his attendance and did not receive a response. WGHP also reached out to event organizers for additional information about the speaker schedule or topics for the Faith Over Fear Rally but did not receive a response.
