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ICYMI: More NC Republicans Are “Worried” About Tillis

Local GOP Leaders Concerned Tillis Will Suffer “Collateral Damage” From Burr Scandal

North Carolina Republicans are growing more and more concerned about Senator Thom Tillis’ reelection bid. The vulnerable incumbent was already facing a tough reelection – three major nonpartisan election analysts have shifted the race to “Toss-Up” as polls show that the race is increasingly competitive and Tillis faces a strong Democratic challenger in Army veteran Cal Cunningham. But now local Republican Party leaders are worried Tillis will suffer “collateral damage” from his close friend and colleague Senator Richard Burr’s stock trading scandal. A new report from Fox 46 details the concern among North Carolina GOP leaders and follows last week’s Daily Beast report about the fears within the North Carolina GOP that Burr’s growing scandal “could take down Tillis.” 

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

Fox 46: GOP split on whether Burr’s scandal could hurt Tillis’ re-election

By Matt Grant

May 27, 2020

Key Points:

  • At least one Republican Party leader is worried Sen. Thom Tillis’ re-election bid, which is expected to be a close contest, could suffer “collateral damage” from the growing scandal involving his friend and colleague Sen. Richard Burr.
  • When Burr was re-elected in 2016, the first person he thanked was Tillis.
  • “Thank you to my partner Thom Tillis or as I call him, ‘Skippy’,” said Burr. “I can honestly tell you there are no two senators from any state that work closer than Thom and I do and I’m grateful for that.”  
  • Fast forward four years. Burr is under investigation by the Department of Justice and the Securities and Exchange Commission. Investigators want to know whether he used non-public coronavirus information when he sold up to $1.7 million in stocks before the market tanked.
  • The chairman of the Iredell County Republican Party, Ron Wyatt, is among several GOP leaders worried about the impact the scandal could have on Tillis’ election.
  • “I do think it will have an impact on his race,” said Wyatt. “Any time that you have an elected official involved in a criminal investigation, especially on a national level when it comes to senators or house members, than that involves everybody in their party.”
  • Sen. Tillis has tried to create some distance. His campaign pointed to previous remarks Tillis made where he said Burr “owes North Carolinians a full explanation” into his stock sale and said Burr “made the right decision” to step down.

Read the full report here.

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