North Carolina's Republican candidate for governor promised to stay in the race on Thursday after CNN reported that he once called himself a "black NAZI!" and proposed bringing back slavery in comments posted on a pornography website.

Mr. Robinson, the Republican nominee for governor of North Carolina, vowed to stay in the race and sought to deny the report, which also said he had defended slavery in online posts years ago.

Mark Robinson characterised the CNN report, which alleged that he had referred to himself as a "black Nazi" on an adult forum, as "salacious tabloid lies". He has been under pressure from state Republicans and members of Donald Trump's campaign team to quit the race, according to anonymous sources quoted by the Carolina Journal newspaper.