I think this is probably a really common view, actually.
I live in an even more conservative state than NC and in all of our local and state elections, our choice is psycho MAGA (R) and Republican-lite (D). In red and purple states, I think you are going to get candidates at state and local level who are very moderate or slightly center-right as your Democratic choice, and then someone like Robinson as your Republican choice.
It's not too different to why there's often Republican governors in the Northeast. I think Vermont either has or recently had a Republican governor. Same for Massachusetts, New Jersey, etc. The Republican on a state level there is going to be straight down the middle ideologically or they'd have no chance of getting elected. And will often appear much more normal than the D nominee in a deep blue state who may end up being uncomfortably to the left for independents.
National races are always different, even though all politics are becoming more nationalized. There's just never going to be a national Dem nominee palatable to the same voters who will still feel just fine voting for Stein and Jackson.
I would, however, appreciate people just being honest and saying they will never vote for a national democrat rather than twist themselves in a pretzel to defend Trump personally and go into the "he wanted to change Washington, etc." That's where they lose me.