Thom Tillis is the Republican candidate for U.S. Senate in North Carolina. The Congressional race is scheduled for Nov. 3, 2020.
He is facing Democratic candidate Cal Cunningham, Constitution Party candidate Kevin Hayes, and Libertarian candidate Shannon Bray.
Name: Thom Tillis
Race: U.S. Senate
Party: Republican
Biography: Thom Tillis has served in the U.S. Senate since 2015. He serves on four committees: Armed Services, Veterans’ Affairs, Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, and the Committee on the Judiciary. He also served in the North Carolina House of Representatives, including as the Speaker of the House. During his 29-year career in the private sector, he worked as an executive at PricewaterhouseCoopers and IBM.
Why should the people of North Carolina re-elect you to Congress?
My top priority has been creating economic opportunities for every North Carolina family. As Speaker of the House, I cut taxes and slashed regulations, which made our state’s economy one of the strongest in the nation. In the U.S. Senate, I have cut your taxes at the federal level and have supported strong trade policies that allow our small businesses and farmers to flourish. I’ve also worked across the aisle to provide health care and employment opportunities to our veterans, support our brave men and women in law enforcement and crack down on dangerous sanctuary cities.
Through the pro-growth economic policies I have fought for, we achieved record-low unemployment for women and minorities and generated record high wage growth for blue-collar workers. Before this virus, I helped create one of the most prosperous economies in our nation’s history and I’ll never stop working until we do it again.
What is the most important legislative issue facing North Carolina, and what is your position on it?
My top legislative priorities are the economy, military families and veterans. I want to defeat COVID-19 and rebuild our economy through pro-growth policies like cutting taxes for working families and creating more good-paying jobs here in North Carolina. I also want to continue improving the lives of North Carolina military families, especially improving access to health care and job opportunities for veterans. Through the MISSION Act, I helped expand veteran’s access to healthcare and worked across the aisle to protect veterans from harmful lending practices.
I’ve also helped the thousands of veterans and service members who have been exposed to toxicants while serving our country by introducing bipartisan legislation to make sure those who were exposed while serving at Camp Lejeune, Iraq, and Afghanistan receive proper medical care from the Va. Our military members deserve the best care possible, which is why I plan to build upon the work I’ve already done and continue to find more ways to support our men and women in uniform when I’m re-elected to the Senate in November.
What is the top challenge facing North Carolina, and how would you address it if elected?
Right now, our public safety is being tested. Law enforcement is under attack and dangerous sanctuary city policies are putting our communities at risk. My opponent wants to weaken the ability of law enforcement to do their job and allow dangerous criminals back on the street through sanctuary city policies, but I couldn’t disagree more with his approach.
I am committed to supporting our law enforcement and protecting the people of North Carolina, which is why I’m proud to be endorsed by three leading law enforcement groups from this state. I have championed our nation’s law enforcement during my time in public service and recently worked with Sen. Tim Scott to co-sponsor the Justice Act, a common-sense police reform bill that respects the jobs of law enforcement officers.
I have also introduced legislation to curb sanctuary cities and protect the families of victims of the practice. The safety of North Carolinians is my priority, and I will continue to work hard to make sure those who call this great state home are protected.
In light of national gun control debates, what, if any, gun laws would you support changing?
I am a strong supporter of the second amendment and will work to protect that freedom for law-abiding citizens. I certainly disagree with Democrats like Beto O’Rourke threatening to take away the guns of those who have purchased them legally.
What are the top three issues created by the coronavirus pandemic in North Carolina, and how would you plan to address them?
North Carolinians have been hit hard by this pandemic. It has cost people to lose their jobs, closed our schools and put a tremendous amount of stress on our healthcare system. A few weeks ago, I voted for a COVID relief bill that addresses these challenges. The bill includes vaccine funding, emergency loans to small businesses, additional unemployment benefits, as well as liability protections for schools and health care providers, but my opponent, Cal Cunningham, said he would’ve voted against it. Cunningham opposes this critically-needed relief because he’d rather use this virus as a political tool to further divide us instead of supporting common-sense solutions to defeat the virus and help our economy recover. While Cunningham ignores the needs of North Carolinians, I’ll continue fighting to protect the physical and economic health of you and your family