Posted on 12/06/2024 1:53:25 PM PST by Governor Dinwiddie
Could North Carolina have a new U.S. Senator in 2026?
Experts say it is possible as questions swirl around Senator Thom Tillis’ chances of winning re-election. New polls out this week show a close race in a potential Republican primary.
A poll conducted by Florida-based firm Victory Insights showed Lara Trump, the current GOP Chair and President-elect’s daughter-in-law, as the strong favorite. Pollsters found that among surveyed Republican voters, 65 percent preferred Trump, while only 11 percent would back Tillis.
Western Carolina Professor Chris Cooper said Tillis first fell out of favor among the GOP when the state party censured him in 2023 over support for bills dealing with LGBTQ protections and policies on immigration and gun violence.
Partial recount the next step to determine NC Supreme Court race “Very unusual action against a sitting United States Senator and from then on, I think there’s been a lot of speculation about whether he could win the primary election or whether he would get primaried out,” said Cooper.
Trump isn’t the only name that has been floated as a potential challenger to Tillis. Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, who recently lost a race for Governor, asked his followers on X if Tillis should be the nominee in 2026.
Duke Professor Mac McCorkle said the primary will likely be Tillis’ biggest concern and that a General election would be far easier to win.
“Tillis is an interesting case that he has the right general election formula for a Republican which I say is a ‘don’t rock the boat’ conservative, somewhat independent from Trump, I think a lot of people in the general election like that,” McCorkle said.
Both Cooper and McCorkle said to take any poll with a grain of salt. Polls could suggest potential opponents, but actual results of an election are difficult to predict two years out.
is she even a resident of NC?
I agree.
I thought she was from New York.
Native of North Carolina.
I assumed Florida since there was talk of DeSantis appointing her to take Rubio’s place.
I wonder when Matt Gaetz first accepted Trump’s appointment for AG, why did Hannity with Lara Trump on the air with him speculate she’d replace Matt Gaetz’s Florida seat in the House, or Rubio’s Florida seat in the senate if she was a NC resident?
NC GOP needs to be careful. Democrats tend to be very competitive there even though they've only won the presidential race once since 1976.
Good question. Lara Trump is a native born Carolinian. She grew up in Wilmington, North Carolina. She went to High School in North Carolina. She got her college degree from North Carolina State University. So she is not a carpetbagger.
Hmmm.. Has a better right to it then RFK or Hellary did to be a senator from New York State!
She’s from Wilmington grudged from NC State and there’s a Trump national golf course in Mooresville NC
I thought she lived in Fla. She said she wanted Rubios Senate seat. I know she is from NC originally but I hope she doesn’t become a Hillary Clinton carpetbagger
My preference is the 17th Amendment be repealed and the state legislature pick the senator!
Tillis will totally be out if she runs
Good get rid of his ass I just read how he wont support ANY trump nominee unless they lick Ukraine’s ass..so F him
Floated like a turd.
We already squandered a winnable governor's race on that trainwreck.
“NC GOP needs to be careful. Democrats tend to be very competitive there even though they’ve only won the presidential race once since 1976.”
The people who assured us that NC is “dark red” (yeah Trump won, very nice) probably don’t post much here anymore....
Tillis has won twice — with a whopping 48.8% and 48.7% of the vote. He should be facing a tough primary, and the general is guaranteed to be tough no matter which Republican wins the primary.
Tillis has always been a squish and has been more squishy in recent years than he was when first elected.
NC is #2 on the list, behind Maine, of potential GOP Senate losses in 2026. It moves up to #1 if desiccated old crone Susan Collins decides to run again in Maine AND if the Rats more or less let her slide (seeing as how she’s basically one of them anyway).
He was lucky in the last Senate race. His opponent screwed up.
Anyway, if the next opponent is Roy Cooper, there's no way Tillis will win.
Lara could actually become the first woman president some day.
Prediction: If Cooper runs, he wins, even against Lara Trump. And it might not even be particularly close by NC standards.
He might even get 55% (LOL) which no opposed statewide candidate in NC has done since 2008, though Joshie Stein came real close this year.
Cooper has won in “landslides” — by Tillis’ standards — with 49.0% and 51.5%.
We all know why “Roy, the Bathroom Bill Boy” won the first time around, but he beat a good candidate in 2020 and won twice even while Trump was also winning NC.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.