Former Georgia gubernatorial candidate claims Hurricane Helene was made to 'keep Mark Robinson from that governorship'

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(WGHP) — Conspiracy theories have been circulated for weeks in the wake of Hurricane Helene, and a Georgia politician has introduced a new one connecting the storm to North Carolina’s highly-publicized gubernatorial race.

Kandiss Taylor, who ran for governor in Georgia in 2022, said on an episode of her podcast, “Jesus. Guns. & Babies,” that she believes the debunked claim that Hurricane Helene was man-made. She claims the storm was a targeted land grab meant to decimate lithium-rich areas so that the government could seize them. She also said she believes the storm was made to disenfranchise western North Carolina voters who would vote for the Republican nominee for North Carolina governor, Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, as first reported by left-leaning outlet Media Matters for America.

The episode was published on Oct. 5 and features guest Lucretia Hughes, an outspoken gun advocate and election denier. Hughes, a longtime ally of Robinson, hosted both Taylor and the lieutenant governor at her Faith Over Fear rally in 2023.

In the podcast, the two women discuss conspiracies surrounding Hurricane Helene and the decimation of Western North Carolina, both voicing belief in the discredited conspiracy that the hurricane was man-made.

U.S. Rep. Chuck Edwards (R-District 11) and U.S. Rep. Jeff Jackson (D-District 14) have both taken to the internet to combat conspiracies like this one, with Edwards saying bluntly: “No one can control the weather.” Chip Konrad, director of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Southeast Regional Climate Center and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill professor, confirmed that no one has the technology to geoengineer a hurricane or other large-scale weather event.

Taylor, however, takes the conspiratorial rhetoric further, saying, “I also believe they don’t want the voters turning out that are all around Asheville. Those Republican, red voters. They didn’t, they are trying their best to keep Mark Robinson from that governorship because he understands — oh, I feel the Holy Spirit — he understands the Constitution.”

Towards the end of the episode, Hughes said, “That’s so scary, to know they can manipulate our weather.”

Taylor has vocally supported Robinson in the wake of CNN’s bombshell report as some Republicans distance themselves from the lieutenant governor. She called the report “FAKE NEWS” and encouraged Robinson to sue CNN, which he has said he intends to do. In that X post, she added that Robinson has her “total and COMPLETE endorsement.”

During her discussion with Hughes, Taylor further expanded on her support for Robinson.

“He understands state sovereignty,” Taylor said. “He understands we are the United States of America. And as a state, we’re sovereign. As a state, we should be able to function on our own. As a state, we can push back. We’re joined because we choose to be. But a state has sovereignty, and Mark understands that. And it terrifies every single establishment politician in this country.”

Taylor, who serves as a chairwoman of the Georgia Republican Party, is no stranger to conspiracy theories. She made a hallmark of her gubernatorial campaign the call for the destruction of the mysterious and conspiracy-attracting Georgia Guidestones, which later were targeted and destroyed by vandals.

She has also faced criticism for backing antisemitic claims that Jewish people are “controlling everything.

Taylor’s podcast airs on the Stew Peters Network.

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