GOP Sen. Tillis continues high-profile statewide tour, in contrast to his opponent
Republican U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis continued his final high-profile blitz across the state Wednesday, voting in Cornelius before a scheduled afternoon appearance in Asheville with Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas.
On Tuesday he stumped with Vice President Mike Pence in Greensboro and Wilmington. And later this week he has events with former S.C. Gov. and U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley.
That’s in marked contrast to his Democratic opponent, Cal Cunningham.
Cunningham has been meeting voters across the state but hasn’t announced any events that are open to the media. It’s been his strategy since he apologized “for the hurt that I have caused in my personal life” after allegations of marital infidelity surfaced this month. He’s taken no questions from the media since Oct. 9.
Cunningham was in Greensboro Wednesday holding a roundtable with small business leaders, a spokesman said. But no reporters were advised of the event.
Speaking to reporters outside the Cornelius town hall, Tillis alluded to Cunningham’s situation.
The choice this election, he said, is between “a senator you can trust who made promises and kept them or a candidate who has run on a foundation of trust and honor and he’s been untruthful and dishonorable.”
An average of recent polls by Real Clear Politics shows Cunningham with a narrow lead in a very close race. That reflects a tightening in recent weeks.
Tillis, who was diagnosed with COVID-19 this month, said there’s “no question” Congress will pass another coronavirus relief bill after the election.
”There are a lot of victims of COVID who haven’t been infected with the virus,” he told reporters. “In their businesses, there are people that are unemployed, there are people who have fallen into the poverty level. We have to take care of them. And I believe after we get through the heat of the election we will.”
In a statement Tuesday, Cunningham criticized Tillis for so far failing to act on a new relief measure.
“Facing a once-in-a-lifetime pandemic,” Cunningham said, “Sen. Tillis is prioritizing his own political interests ahead of working to secure the COVID relief we badly need.”
This story was originally published October 28, 2020 at 2:51 PM.
