Republicans Close In On Democrats In Michigan North Carolina Senate Races
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Wednesday, 21 Oct 2020
4:21 AM MYT
FILE PHOTO: Local resident Sarah Blanchard marks her ballot while her three-year-old son Parker plays at her feet on the first day of the states in-person early voting for the national elections in Durham, North Carolina, U.S. October 15, 2020. REUTERS/Jonathan Drake
WASHINGTON Republican Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina pulled even with his Democratic challenger, and in Michigan, the Republican candidate for a U.S. Senate seat cut into the Democratic incumbents lead, Reuters/Ipsos polls showed on Tuesday.
There are about 12 competitive U.S. Senate races this year, 10 with vulnerable Republican incumbents and two with vulnerable Democrats. To have a majority in the Senate, Democrats need to pick up three seats if the party wins the White House, which gives the vice president a tie-breaking vote, and four if not.
Here are the latest results for three Senate races on which Reuters/Ipsos is polling:
NORTH CAROLINA
* Voting for Democratic challenger Cal Cunningham: 47%
* Voting for Republican Senator Thom Tillis: 47%
* Cunningham led Tillis 46%-42% in the prior week.
* 12% said they had already voted.
MICHIGAN
* Voting for Democratic Senator Gary Peters: 50%
* Voting for Republican challenger John James: 45%
* Peters led James 52%-44% in the prior week.
* 28% said they had already voted.
ARIZONA
* Voting for Democratic challenger and former astronaut Mark Kelly: 52%
* Voting for Republican Senator Martha McSally: 41%
Museums And Art Galleries
The is an in Jacksonvilles neighborhood. It was founded in 1961, following the death of Ninah Mae Holden Cummer, who bequeathed her art collection, house and gardens to the museum. Its galleries display one of the worlds three most comprehensive collections of , as well as large collections of American, European, and Japanese art. The grounds contain two acres of Italian and English gardens begun by Ninah Cummer.
The is a museum funded and operated as a cultural resource of the . Tracing its roots to the formation of Jacksonvilles Fine Arts Society in 1924, it opened its current 60,000-square-foot facility in 2003 next to the Main Library downtown. The museum features eclectic permanent and traveling exhibitions, and a collection of over 700 works.
The , in downtowns , specializes in science and local history exhibits. It features a main exhibit that changes quarterly, plus three floors of nature exhibits, an extensive exhibit on the history of Northeast Florida, a hands-on science area, and the areas only theater, the .
is a historic built in 1798. The house of , barn, kitchen, and slave cabins have been preserved.
Alexander Brest, founder of Duval Engineering and Contracting Co., was the benefactor for the on the campus of . The exhibits are a diverse collection of , artifacts, , and , , porcelain, and rotating exhibits of the work of local, regional, national and international artists.
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Tillis Colleagues Introduce Bill To Block Democrats Irs Snooping Proposal
WASHINGTON, D.C. U.S. Senator Thom Tillis and his Republican colleagues this week introduced the Prohibiting IRS Financial Surveillance Act, a bill to prevent the Internal Revenue Service from implementing Democrats plan to give the agency access to transaction information of virtually every American.
President Biden and Democrats want the IRS to have full access to the personal financial information of nearly every American with a job so they can audit hardworking middle class Americans and make them foot the bill for their tax and spending spree, said Senator Tillis. I am proud to introduce this legislation to stop this intended IRS overreach and protect the financial privacy of hardworking Americans.
BACKGROUND
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The Association Of American Publishers Awarded Republican Senator Thom Tillis For His Work On Copyright
Speaking at the annual meeting of the Association of American Publishers on Monday, AAP president and CEO Maria Pallante addressed what may be the most pressing issue facing publishers in 2022. It would hardly be a meeting of publishers, she said, if we didnt address the First Amendment.
As we all know, across the country, thousands of books are being questioned with a scrutiny thats newly chilling, she said, per a report from Publishing Perspectives, from novels to math books. This is not to say that parents and communities dont have a say in public education, as the law is clear that they do. But that role has constitutional limits. It does not extend to capricious actions that cross the line and amount to censorship. In fact, the line is important.
Michael Pietsch, CEO of Hachetteone of the Big Five publishersand the AAPs current board chair, largely concurred. There are fires raging in our industry, and in the world at large, he said. Were confronting many serious issueswhat I would say is the biggest set of simultaneous challenges our industry has faced in a generation.
The award for Tillis is narrowly focused on what the AAP deems his outstanding contributions to the public good by advancing laws or policies that respect the value, creation and publication of original works of authorship.
Alex Shephard is a staff writer at The New Republic.
Who Is Thom Tillis
Thom Tillis, who turned 60 in August, was elected as North Carolinas junior senator in 2014.
Tillis was born in Jacksonville, Florida but his family moved more than a dozen times during his childhood. Tillis never attended the same school two years in a row, as his family lived in New Orleans, as well as Nashville, Tennessee. He has a bachelors degree in technology management from the University of Maryland.
Thom Tillis lives with his wife, Susan, in Huntersville, North Carolina. They have two grown children and two grandchildren, according to his campaign bio.
Thom Tillis public service career began as the PTA president of his daughters high school. He was also a member of the Town of Cornelius Board of Commissioners. In 2006, he was voted to the North Carolina House of Representatives. From 2011-2014, he served as speaker of the North Carolina House.
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Tillis Lags Behind Trump
Cunningham leads Tillis by about 5 percentage points in an average of recent polls, according to RealClearPolitics. It could take time for more surveys to capture how Cunningham’s scandal affects the race. A CNBC/Change Research poll taken Friday through Sunday found Cunningham leading Tillis by 4 percentage points, compared with a 5 percentage point edge two weeks earlier.
“I don’t know whether makes a difference to people who haven’t made up their minds,” said Andrew Taylor, a political science professor at North Carolina State University.
Roberts said Cunningham’s relationship “can only hurt him” in a race that will likely be decided by a close margin.
Tillis’ campaign has hammered the Democrat over the scandal. The senator told Fox News this week that Cunningham “owes the people of North Carolina a full explanation.”
Cunningham emerged on the campaign trail for the first time in days Wednesday night to say he was “deeply sorry.” He tried to refocus on the pandemic and health care in what he called “by far the most important election in our lifetime.” Cunningham argued Tillis “has now resorted to trying to make this campaign about something other than the issues” because of the polling gap.
In a statement Wednesday night, Tillis campaign manager Luke Blanchat called Cunningham’s apology “insincere.” He urged the Democrat to answer more questions about the affair.
“Trying to thread the needle, I think he stabbed himself,” Roberts said.
People Remember How Good Their Lives Were Back In February Senator Thom Tillis Says
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A Republican senator has made the argument as to why voters should continue to back the GOP, including Donald Trump, and it has to do with the state of the economy pre-coronavirus pandemic.
Thom Tillis of North Carolina is seeking re-election in November, but he could face a tough challenge from Democrat Cal Cunningham who is currently leading in the polls.
To argue for himself and his party, Mr Tillis has said voters should think about how strong the economy was under Republican leadership prior to the coronavirus pandemic.
The stakes are very high this election, but you know why I know were going to win? Mr Tillis asked during the North Carolina Republican convention, held virtually on Friday evening. Because people remember how good their lives were back in February.
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Early Life And Education
Tillis was born in Jacksonville, Florida, the son of Margie and Thomas Raymond Tillis, a boat draftsman. He was the oldest boy among six children, with three older sisters. One of his brothers, Rick Tillis, served in the Tennessee House of Representatives. By age 17, his family had moved 20 times, and Tillis never attended the same school in consecutive years, living in New Orleans and Nashville, among other places.
Following his 1978 graduation from high school, Tillis left home to get a job. He then attended Chattanooga State Community College before receiving a Bachelor of Science in technology management from the University of Maryland University College in 1996.
North Carolina House Of Representatives
After a two-year term as town commissioner, Tillis ran for the General Assembly in 2006. He defeated incumbent John W. Rhodes in the Republican primary and went on to win the election unopposed. Tillis was reelected unopposed in 2008, 2010 and 2012. He formally left IBM in 2009. He was campaign chairman for the House Republican Caucus in 2010. After Republicans won a majority in the North Carolina House for the first time since 1998, Tillis was chosen as Speaker, the fifth Republican to hold the role, and was unanimously reelected in 2013.Governing magazine named Tillis and North Carolina Senate President pro temporePhil Berger “GOP Legislators to Watch” in 2011.
The state house overseen by Tillis restructured the state’s tax code,redrewNorth Carolina’s congressional districts, and passed legislation to sunset existing state rules and regulations and limit new regulations to ten years.
In 2014, 14 people protesting cuts to the earned income tax credits program and Tillis’s refusal to expand Medicaid were arrested after staging a sit-in in his office.
Tillis was announced the winner of the Senate race on November 4. He received 48.8% of the vote, the lowest winning total in North Carolina history for a U.S. Senate candidate Hagan garnered 47.3%.
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Republican Senator Tillis Clinches Reelection As Cunningham Concedes
WASHINGTON – Democrat Cal Cunningham, who had been considered the leader for a U.S. Senate seat in North Carolina until his campaign was undermined by a sex scandal, on Tuesday conceded the closely fought contest to Republican incumbent Thom Tillis.
Edison Research also called the race for Tillis. The result essentially confirms that control of the Senate — and with it the power to support or block much of Democratic President-elect Joe Biden’s agenda — will be decided in a pair of Jan. 5 runoff elections in Georgia.
Cunningham’s concession a week after the Nov. 3 election gives Tillis a second six-year term in the Senate and ends a race that Democrats had once seen as one of their best shots to take control of the upper chamber of Congress.
“The voters have spoken and I respect their decision,” Cunningham, 47, a former state senator, said in a statement after he called Tillis to congratulate him.
Tillis, 60, who trailed Cunningham in pre-election opinion polls and won re-election by less than 2 percentage points, said he was humbled by the victory.
“I pledge to continue keeping my promises and delivering results,” Tillis posted on Twitter. “This was a hard-fought campaign and I wish nothing but the best to Cal and his family going forward.”
In October, Cunningham confirmed that he had exchanged sexually suggestive messages with a woman who was not his wife and apologized for his behavior.
What Does Thom Tillis Want
The Republican candidate for Senate from North Carolina has shown a remarkable knack for moving up in the ranks, but he seems less sure what to do once he gets there.
Thom Tillis is a man in a hurry. He went from city councilor to North Carolina House speaker in just five years. Four months into his second term as speaker, he was running for U.S. Senate. The man who would hand the Republicans control of the Senate has been a lot of things in a short amount of time. And while he seems to know where hes going, its less clear that he knows what hell do once he gets there.
Tillis started his political career as a city councilor in Cornelius, a wealthy suburb of Charlotte. In 2006, after a single term, he upset a Republican incumbent in a primary for a state House seat. Like all freshmen, Tillis arrived in Raleigh as a backbencher, but he quickly impressed his Republican colleagues, who chose him freshman leader. In just his second term, he joined the House GOP leadership as minority whip.
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Race For Meadows Seat Headed For Runoff Ross And Manning Win Democratic Nominations For Redrawn Holding And Walker Districts
Army veteran and former state Sen. Cal Cunningham sailed through the North Carolina Democratic Senate primary Tuesday, setting up what is certain to be a closely watched race in November against vulnerable Republican incumbent Thom Tillis.
Cunningham, who led in fundraising and had the endorsement of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, was leading state Sen. Erica Smith, 58 percent to 34 percent, with 91 percent of precincts reporting.
Smith, a former school board member, received an unwanted boost from national Republicans in the last weeks of the race. The Senate Leadership Fund a GOP super PAC associated with Majority Leader Mitch McConnell admitted in February it was behind a group that bought more than $3 million in ads touting Smiths progressive credentials. The tactic was meant to force Cunningham to spend money on the primary that could have been spent in the fall against Tillis.
Tillis started off the campaign as one of the most vulnerable Republicans in the Senate. His position improved in December when retired businessman Garland Tucker, who had been largely funding his own challenge, dropped out of the Republican primary. President Donald Trump beat Hillary Clinton in North Carolina by less than 4 points in 2016. Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales rates this years Senate race a Toss-up.
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In Blow To Democrats Republican Thom Tillis Wins Re
Democrat Cal Cunningham conceded to Republican Sen. Thom Tillis in the North Carolina race Tuesday, increasing the stakes in the outcomes of Georgias Senate races, which appear likely to determine control of the chamber.
NBC News had projected the race as too close to call, but declared Tillis the winner shortly after Cunningham conceded the race. The win gives Republicans 49 seats in the Senate, while Democrats have 48, with two races in Georgia and one in Alaska still outstanding.
I just called Senator Tillis to congratulate him on winning re-election to a second term in the U.S. Senate and wished him and his family the best in their continued service in the months and years ahead, Cunningham said in a statement. The voters have spoken and I respect their decision.
While the results of this election suggest there remain deep political divisions in our state and nation, he added, the more complete story of our country lies in what unites us: our faith and sense of confidence in our democracy, our civic values and common humanity, our shared aspiration to care for one another, and our belief that we live in a country that does exceptional things.
Democrats would need to win two of the three remaining Senate contests to gain control of the chamber with Vice President-elect Kamala Harris serving as the tie-breaking vote.
Tillis didnt wait for network projections he declared victory after the polls closed on Election Day.
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Tillis Moves To Lean Republican
This post has been updated.
Democrats have their sights set on Republican U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis, who is seeking a second term. But, before Tillis can focus on a Democratic challenger, he must fend off a primary to his right from wealthy businessman Garland Tucker and farmer Sandy Smith.
Tillis had spent the lions share of his career in business, holding numerous positions within PriceWaterhouseCoopers and IBM. He was elected to the state House of Representatives in 2006 and served as Speaker before running for the Senate in 2014. He won a three-way primary with 46 percent of the vote and went on to defeat then-Democratic U.S. Sen. Kay Hagan, 49 percent to 47 percent.
Its not surprising then that Tillis pulled primary opposition. Smith, a farmer, poses less of a threat than Tucker. Tucker retired as chairman and CEO of Triangle Capital in 2016 the company was sold last year for $1 billion. A longtime conservative, Tucker has authored two books, The High Tide of American Conservatism: Davis, Coolidge and the 1924 Election and Conservative Heroes: Fourteen Leaders Who Changed America, from Jefferson to Reagan. Tucker seems to have ample personal resources to put in the race as of June 30, he put $700,000 into the race, which amounted to most of the $1 million he reported. Tillis had nearly $4.4 million in the bank at the end of the second quarter.
Internet Technology And Copyright
Tillis opposes net neutrality. In 2017, he co-sponsored the Restoring Internet Freedom Act, a bill to nullify the Federal Communications Commissions Open Internet Order. In March 2017, Tillis voted for the Broadband Consumer Privacy Proposal that removed the FCC’s internet privacy rules and allowed internet service providers to sell customers’ browsing history without their permission.
In May 2020, Tillis voted against an amendment to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act to bar warrantless surveillance of web browser history. In April 2020, Tillis, who chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee’s intellectual property panel, wrote that he was concerned that the Internet Archive‘s “National Emergency Library” initiative, which temporarily expanded access to its 1.4 million-book collection during the COVID-19 shutdown, violated copyright law. He argued that the Internet Archive was deciding to “re-write copyright law at the expense of authors, artists, and creators” the Internet Archive argued that it was a licensed library in the state of California and that the Copyright Act of 1976 “provides flexibility to libraries and others to adjust to changing circumstances.”
Tillis inserted an amendment to the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 to make the unauthorized commercial streaming of copyrighted material a felony. Under this amendment, people and service providers would face up to three years in prison for unlawfully transmitting copyrighted material.
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