Thom Tillis struggles for conservative support in North Carolina Senate bid
North Carolina Sen. Kay Hagan was supposed to be one of the most vulnerable Senate Democrats this year but she has managed to consistently lead in the polls, as Republican challenger Thom Tillis struggles to muster the support of tea party voters he needs to win in November.
Mrs. Hagan meanwhile is energizing her base by accusing Mr. Tillis, speaker of North Carolinas House, of being a right-wing extremist who she characterizes as anti-woman and anti-education.
While Kay was named the most moderate member of the Senate Speaker Tillis led a deeply unpopular legislature that cut education spending by $500 million to give tax breaks to the wealthy, killed an equal pay bill, refused to raise the minimum wage and defunded Planned Parenthood, said Hagan campaign spokesman Chris Hayden.
SEE ALSO: Kay Hagan up 3 points in North Carolina Senate race: poll
From his career in corporate America to his support of toll roads to his comment that legal gay marriage is likely inevitable, Mr. Tillis has alienated much of the states conservative base, said Thomas Mills, a Democratic political analyst in North Carolina.
If youre living in a town of 2,000 people in rural North Carolina thats the base, he said. He culturally cant connect with those people. Hes not a tea party guy and they never accepted that he is.
Joe Greene, a leader of the Conservative Patriots Of Wilkes Empowering the Republic, or CPOWER, a tea party group in Wilkes County, agrees.
SEE ALSO: Women voters boost N.C. Sen. Kay Hagan into lead: poll
Hes an establishment Republican. Thats why Im opposed to him, said Mr. Greene. A lot of people feel the way I do and wont vote for him. Hes got a lot of things about him thats not grass roots.
He said that unlike many of his tea party compatriots, he would begrudgingly cast his ballot for Mr. Tillis.
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Thom Tillis struggles for conservative support in North Carolina Senate bid