Thom Tillis clearly thinks North Carolina Republicans stubbed their toe by nominating Mark Robinson as their gubernatorial nominee, a decision that may cost them their super majorities in the N.C. House and Senate, he said during an interview Thursday.
“I don’t think our majorities are at risk, but there could be one or two surprises in suburban districts” that may lead to Democrats breaking up the supermajority held over the past two years, Tillis said. By holding more than two-thirds of the seats in the legislature, the Republicans are much more likely to override vetos by Gov. Roy Cooper.
“When you have [Democratic gubernatorial candidate] Josh Stein transferring $6 million to the state house and legislative races [from his own campaign coffers], you know he’s feeling pretty good about his chances,” Tillis said. Most recent polls show Stein with a commanding lead over Robinson, while most other statewide races are very tight.
The Republicans hold a 72-48 majority in the House and 30-20 margin in the Senate.
Tillis was among the few influential N.C. Republicans who haven’t backed Robinson’s campaign over the past year. In the Republican primary, Tillis favored challenger Bill Graham, a Salisbury lawyer who was defeated decisively.
When CNN recently reported about Robinson’s alleged inflammatory comments on chatrooms, Tillis urged the candidate to provide evidence showing the allegations were untrue. Robinson responded with a lawsuit seeking $50 million in damages from CNN for defamation. But Tillis says he doesn’t think the lawsuit offers significant evidence suggesting the reporting wasn’t factual.
On Saturday, Robinson criticized Tillis as “spineless” and said the senator’s criticisms haven’t helped his campaign. “I don’t need some lily-livered, jelly-backed, spineless toad like Thom Tillis wanting to cross his legs,” Robinson said at a campaign event, The Hill website reported.
Tillis says his concerns with Robinson stem from the lieutenant governor’s lack of business and legislative experience, needed to lead the ninth-most populous state. Robinson hadn’t previously held public office before defeating Yvonne Holley in the 2020 election.
Tillis was a partner in a global accounting firm and a Mecklenburg County Commissioner before entering the N.C. House in 2007, then served as speaker from 2011-15. In Raleigh, he played a key role in helping Republicans take control of the N.C. General Assembly for the first time in more than a century, then promoted business-friendly policies including tax cuts and reduced regulations. He was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2014 and re-elected in 2020.
“Mr. Robinson is a crowd favorite among the party faithful, and I’m fine with that. He is a great orator and I share his views on some policies, including defending the Second Amendment, which is a position that brought him into political prominence,” Tilis said. But some of Robinson’s views “are out of touch with the majority of voters in our state, who are not Republicans. And we need them to elect Republicans statewide.”
The senator added that he was “going to be sad” should Stein win the election. The Democratic candidate, who served in the N.C. House with Tillis, is a “high tax liberal” who opposed many fiscal and education reforms instituted by the Republicans since 2011. “It is a shame we don’t have somebody to match him.”
Tillis said he has spent virtually every day in the past week in western North Carolina, reviewing damage from Hurricane Helene. “We have to make sure people show up and keep shining a light on a dire situation. I think it will be the most costly, most deadly storm impact in North Carolina’s recorded history.”
Tillis met with U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg on Thursday to survey the storm’s impact. A key issue will be how to repair Interstate 40, the region’s key transportation route. He urged his U.S. Senate colleagues to pass an emergency financial response, hoping that might spur action by the Republican-controlled U.S. House.
“We have to let people know they are a priority,” Tillis said. “If we don’t quickly marshal resources to let them know we are coming back, some will be wondering if it is even worth trying.”
