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Thom Tillis wins North Carolina Republican primary Thom Tillis wins North Carolina Republican primary
(4 months later)
A Republican strategy to tame the A Republican strategy to tame the influence of the party's radical fringe reaped its first victory on Tuesday as the national leadership's preferred candidate in North Carolina comfortably beat rivals backed by the Tea Party and religious right.
influence of the party's radical fringe reaped its first victory on In the first of a clutch of primary elections that are likely to play a decisive role in the race to control the US Senate, Republican voters voted to nominate state House speaker Thom Tillis as their candidate for November's midterm battle.
Tuesday as the national leadership's preferred candidate in North Tillis, who was supported by large corporate donors and GOP veterans such as Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich, beat Tea Party favourite Greg Brannon by 45% to 27% – easily exceeding the 40% threshold needed to avoid a run-off election.
Carolina comfortably beat rivals backed by the Tea Party and But in a bid to avoid reopening bitter Republican party wounds, Tillis did not mention Brannon at all during a victory speech to his supporters in Charlotte, preferring to turn to a battle with Democratic incumbent senator Kay Hagan that is likely to be dominated by debates over Barack Obama's healthcare reforms.
religious right. “Kay Hagan and [Senate majority leader] Harry Reid are nothing but an echo chamber for president Obama's worst ideas,” Tillis told his supporters at an election night party in a Charlotte hotel.
In the first of a clutch of primary “When the president bullied his way into a takeover of our nation's healthcare system, Kay Hagan cast the deciding vote.”
elections that are likely to play a decisive role in the race to The primary election result is a potential blow for Hagan who may have fared better against a Republican outsider but instead faces a neck-and-neck race to hold on to a state that Barack Obama narrowly lost in the 2012 general election.
control the US Senate, Republican voters voted to nominate state Only six states need to change hands in November for the Democrats to lose control of Congress entirely and Hagan supporters had taken the unusual step of funding negative ads against Tillis that were targeted at Republican voters during the primary.
House speaker Thom Tillis as their candidate for November's midterm Democratic party strategists insist that Tillis, who has a relatively conservative record as a state politician, represents the triumph of the rightwing of his party rather than its decline and will seek to portray the former PWC partner as an elitist in the Mitt Romney mold during the months to come.
battle. Tillis too has rejected accusations by Brannon supporters that he is too moderate to fire up his party's base.
Tillis, who was supported by large “We will keep many of their supporters based on my record,” he said on Monday. “We have had a conservative revolution in this state. [Brannon supporters] will still be with us in the general because we are all unified around beating Kay Hagan and getting a majority in the Senate.”
corporate donors and GOP veterans such as Mitt Romney and Newt The Republican party mainstream faces similar challenges from Tea Party backed candidates across the country and its victory in North Carolina may set the tone for key Kentucky and Georgia primaries later in May.
Gingrich, beat Tea Party favourite Greg Brannon by 45% to 27% – easily exceeding the 40% threshold needed to The Tea Party rose to prominence after the banking crash when many Republicans grew disenchanted with Wall Street bail-outs and began backing candidates much more aggressively opposed to compromise with Democrats.
avoid a run-off election. The resulting surge of more radical Republican candidates has contributed to growing political deadlock in Washington and has been blamed by some party strategists for holding back gains against Democrats among more moderate voters.
But in a bid to avoid reopening bitter In another, though far less contested, victory for Washington's Republican leaders, House speaker John Boehner also comfortably won a primary for his Ohio district on Tuesday.
Republican party wounds, Tillis did not mention Brannon at all during As an incumbent, Hagan was only facing token candidates in North Carolina's Democratic primary and won more than 75% of those votes cast.
a victory speech to his supporters in Charlotte, preferring to turn
to a battle with Democratic incumbent senator Kay Hagan that is
likely to be dominated by debates over Barack Obama's healthcare
reforms.
“Kay Hagan and [Senate majority
leader] Harry Reid are nothing but an echo chamber for president
Obama's worst ideas,” Tillis told his supporters at an election
night party in a Charlotte hotel.
“When the president bullied his way
into a takeover of our nation's healthcare system, Kay Hagan cast
the deciding vote.”
The primary election result is a potential blow for
Hagan who may have fared better against a Republican outsider but instead faces a neck-and-neck race to hold on to a
state that Barack Obama narrowly lost in the 2012 general election.
Only six states need to change hands in
November for the Democrats to lose control of Congress entirely and
Hagan supporters had taken the unusual step of funding negative ads
against Tillis that were targeted at Republican voters during the
primary.
Democratic party strategists insist
that Tillis, who has a relatively conservative record as a state
politician, represents the triumph of the rightwing of his party
rather than its decline and will seek to portray the former PWC
partner as an elitist in the Mitt Romney mold during the months to
come.
Tillis too has rejected accusations by
Brannon supporters that he is too moderate to fire up his party's
base.
“We will keep many of their
supporters based on my record,” he said on Monday. “We have had a
conservative revolution in this state. [Brannon supporters] will
still be with us in the general because we are all unified around
beating Kay Hagan and getting a majority in the Senate.”
The Republican party mainstream faces
similar challenges from Tea Party backed candidates across the
country and its victory in North Carolina may set the tone for key
Kentucky and Georgia primaries later in May.
The Tea Party rose to prominence after
the banking crash when many Republicans grew disenchanted with Wall
Street bail-outs and began backing candidates much more aggressively
opposed to compromise with Democrats.
The resulting surge of more radical
Republican candidates has contributed to growing political deadlock
in Washington and has been blamed by some party strategists for
holding back gains against Democrats among more moderate voters.
In another, though far less contested,
victory for Washington's Republican leaders, House speaker John
Boehner also comfortably won a primary for his Ohio district on
Tuesday.
As an incumbent, Hagan was only facing
token candidates in North Carolina's Democratic primary and won more
than 75% of those votes cast.