“Growing Belief” Tillis Could Lose Re-Election Puts Him in Middle of Primary Circus
POLITICO:
“…a growing belief that Tillis is vulnerable — both in the primary and
general elections”
Washington Examiner: “…his relationship with Republican activists in North
Carolina, always rocky, was aggravated earlier this year”
POLITICO:
“The first-term Tillis is one of the most endangered senators up for
reelection”
Senator Thom Tillis is at the center of a
primary circus with a “growing belief” among Republicans that he could lose
reelection “in both the primary and general.”
Ever since Senator Thom Tillis’ “Olympic gold flip-flop”
further weakened his already-waning support and credibility among North Carolina Republicans and earned him a primary challenger,
the bad news has continued to roll in. National Republicans are scrambling to
keep the party in line but Club for Growth circulated a memo outlining how weak
Tillis is in their effort to recruit another candidate into the race. Meanwhile, his current opponent is already on TV and landing interviews in conservative press, prompting an early bailout from Vice President Pence.
Here’s a look at the “Republican civil war”
brewing in North Carolina:
POLITICO:
Return of the Republican civil war?
By Alex Isenstadt and James Arkin
Key Points:
- A prominent conservative group is trying to lure a staunch ally of President Donald Trump into a primary race against Republican Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina, threatening to inflame intra-party tensions in a state crucial to the party’s 2020 strategy.
- The Club for Growth is attempting to nudge Rep. Mark Walker, a third-term evangelical pastor, into the 2020 Senate race. This week, it completed a poll suggesting that Tillis would be vulnerable to a challenge from the right — particularly against Walker.
- The Club for Growth said its move was rooted in a growing belief that Tillis is vulnerable — both in the primary and general elections.
- The development threatens to further shake up a contest that’s already been upended by the entrance of one primary challenger. Garland Tucker, a former investment company executive who launched his campaign earlier this month, has pledged to spend $1 million of his own money and is accusing Tillis of being insufficiently supportive of the president.
Washington Examiner: GOP leaders back North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis by
bloodying his primary challenger
By David M. Drucker
Key Points:
- Republican leaders in the Senate are aggressively defending Sen. Thom Tillis, with plans to carpet bomb primary challenger Garland Tucker across the North Carolina airwaves if he jeopardizes the incumbent’s 2020 reelection.
- …his relationship with Republican activists in North Carolina, always rocky, was aggravated earlier this year by Tillis’ initial decision to oppose the president’s declaration of a national emergency to fund construction of a wall along the Mexican border. Tillis eventually changed his mind and backed Trump, but not before he piqued the ire of base Republicans.
- Enter Tucker, who is attempting to capitalize by promising to be a loyal soldier for the president.
- “When President Trump made his emergency declaration to build the wall, I agreed. Thom Tillis not only disagreed, he published an op-ed in the Washington Post opposing the President. Then two weeks later, at the last minute, under pressure, Tillis flip-flopped,” Tucker said in a press release announcing his bid.
POLITICO:
Trump campaign and Senate GOP clash over president’s pollster
By Alex Isenstadt
Key Points:
- A top strategist on President Donald Trump’s reelection campaign has withdrawn from an effort to unseat North Carolina GOP Sen. Thom Tillis in 2020 — an arrangement that sparked tensions at the highest levels of the Republican Party.
- Pollster John McLaughlin’s work for a Tillis primary challenger had angered leading Senate Republican campaign officials, who said the president’s team should be unified in the effort to reelect both Trump and incumbent Republican senators.
- The run-in was the first major rift this year between the Trump campaign and the National Republican Senatorial Committee, threatening to drive a wedge between the two organizations at a time of unease about the party’s prospects.
- But in some corners of the party, the North Carolina episode has reignited long-held concerns that the Trump political machine at times operates on its own with little regard for other Republicans. The first-term Tillis is one of the most endangered senators up for reelection, and senior Republicans worry that the primary challenge could further complicate his prospects.
Read more here about Tillis’ primary troubles:
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