The teacher/education carp seems to reliably bring the Dem. vote over the line. Several ads are accusing Tillis of cutting teacher aids, the education budget and text books. What happened to the “education” lottery money???
The NC General Assembly is not a popular institution right now. As Speaker of the NC House, Tillis is a convenient target for all those who oppose the budget cuts that have been made—especially the perceived cuts to education (which in many cases are not cuts at all, but reform measures). I know several teachers who voted for McCain and Romney who are supporting Hagan and have convinced a lot of parents that Tillis is evil personified.