North Carolina Republican Senate candidate Thom Tillis came out against President Barack Obama’s proposal to raise the minimum wage, labeling it a “dangerous idea,” according to the Raleigh News & Observer.
“I have serious concerns with the discussion around minimum wage because
it drives up costs and it could harm jobs,” Tillis is quoted as saying. He’s the front-runner for the GOP nomination to challenge Sen. Kay Hagan (D).
The Democrats’ push to raise the federal minimum wage to $10.10 per hour has become a key policy issue in the 2014 mid-term elections. It is currently $7.25 per hour. Republicans broadly oppose hiking it.
“I think for the most part the market needs to define that,” Tillis continued. “When we create artificial thresholds then you run into a big problem. And I think we need to know that a segment of the population relies on minimum wage, but there are a lot of jobs that go beyond the minimum wage.”
Hagan’s spokeswoman Sadie Weiner responded, “Kay believes in increasing the minimum wage because she knows families in North Carolina are just trying to make ends meet – often working more than one job and still struggling to stay afloat.”
The Democratic-affiliated group American Bridge filmed video of Tillis answering reporters’ questions about the minimum wage. Watch it below.
