Vulnerable GOP Sen. Thom Tillis All But Admits Trump Is Headed For Defeat

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Last updated on July 18th, 2023 at 12:15 pm

In a sign that even Republicans are starting to see that Donald Trump’s reelection campaign is in trouble, North Carolina GOP Sen. Thom Tillis all but admitted that he’s running to be a check on a Joe Biden administration.

“The best check on a Biden presidency is for Republicans to have a majority in the Senate,” the GOP senator said, according to Politico. “And I do think ‘checks and balances’ does resonate with North Carolina voters.”

It’s a revealing statement from Tillis, even if he does continue to publicly support Trump. It’s a sign that he is trying to put some daylight between him and a president whose numbers are sinking more each day.

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In North Carolina, FiveThirtyEight currently puts Biden’s advantage at less than three percentage points. While Biden’s lead has been razor thin in the state, it has been steady.

In the Senate race, Tillis currently trails Democratic challenger Cal Cunningham by about five percentage points, according to RealClearPolitics.

GOP senators’ fates are likely tied to the unpopular president

Despite Sen. Tillis’ best efforts, the fates of vulnerable GOP senators are likely tied to Donald Trump, an unpopular president.

As Harry Enten noted four years ago, the 2016 election was “the first time that all the states (with Senate races on the ballot) have voted for the same party in both the presidential and Senate races.”

Given how polarized America is, it’s likely that this trend will continue in the upcoming election.

In other words, if Trump loses North Carolina, Tillis is likely to lose his reelection bid as well. If Trump overtakes Biden and holds onto the state, that boosts Tillis’ chances.

At this stage in the presidential campaign, Thom Tillis seems to recognize where things are headed. But it’s unlikely that there are enough Biden-Tillis voters in North Carolina to save him, if Donald Trump loses the state.

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Sean Colarossi

Sean Colarossi currently resides in Cleveland, Ohio. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and was an organizing fellow for both of President Obama’s presidential campaigns. He also worked with Planned Parenthood as an Affordable Care Act Outreach Organizer in 2014, helping northeast Ohio residents obtain health insurance coverage.