North Carolina House Speaker Thom Tillis the Republican nominee for U.S. Senate in North Carolina, declined to say whether he would support Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) if they both win in November because he wants to be an “independent” senator for the state.
“I’m not going to look past the most important election and that’s the election in November,” Tillis said to Buzzfeed on Saturday. “I think there are a number of people in Republican caucus [sic] who would be great leaders and it would be great for them to be in that position.”
Tillis comments are notable given that he’s been considered one of the more establishment candidates in the North Carolina Senate race. He was mainstream Republicans’ preferred candidate in the divided Republican primary for U.S. Senate in the state. Tillis said he wants the Republican leadership to work with the minority if the GOP takes control of the Senate.
“I’ve met with probably 30 members of the sitting Republican senators over the last year and I never neglect to let them know that I’m going to expect our leadership to do things differently,” Tillis told supporters according to Buzzfeed. “I’m going to expect our leadership to respect the minority.”
The TPM Polltracker gives Sen. Kay Hagan (D-NC), Tillis’s opponent, a 1.1 point lead over Tillis.
Now if only North Carolinians can decline Tillis…
Why should he comment, he won’t be in the Senate any time in his life!
“independent” for Tillis means he’ll follow the dictates of ALEC and the Koch Bros and try to do maximum damage to health care, education, the environment, the minimum wage, and voter rights.
Tom Tillis is a Koch Brothers sock puppet. He’ll say anything, do anything to get elected, say whatever he has to say to reach the 5% who persist in believing the fairy tale about the continued existence of “moderate” Republicans no matter how many times they get hosed. But once elected, dog forbid, he’ll be a 99% Conservative Union and NRA voting record, just like all the other “moderate” Republicans.
Everything about this guy is a farce. His role models are George W Bush, Scott Walker, Mitt Romney: “Hey I’m a nice guy, a compassionate conservative, I’m just like you, I’m barely interested in this seat anyway, the only reason I want it so badly is so I can be your middle-of-the-road buddy ol’ pal ol’ friend.”
We know the type all too well. As soon as they’re elected, the ticking trojan horse spider egg sac time bomb goes off. The most stunning part of Tillis’s lies is he thinks North Carolinians are going to overlook his record as a hardline Koch-purchased extremist in the state house. He’s like a child hiding behind a plant, who you can clearly see, but who thinks he’s really clever. Only it’s not cute.
The hundreds of doctors, teachers, students, etc who have been arrested at the Moral Monday protests in Raleigh know him better than they ever wanted to. He’s not their buddy ol’ pal.