Tillis wins North Carolina Senate primary

Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) won his party’s primary to retain his Senate seat on Tuesday, defeating several GOP challengers.

The Associated Press called the GOP race for Tillis shortly before 8:30 p.m. 

He is set to face former state Sen. Cal Cunningham (D), who prevailed over three other Democrats who were running for the party’s nomination in the North Carolina Senate primary. 

Tillis himself faced challenges from three fellow Republicans for his seat, including Lake Norman Conservatives Co-Chairwoman Sharon Hudson, former Judge Paul Wright, and businessman Larry Holmquist.

His Republican competitors argued that Tillis’s unpopularity in the state would lead to the seat falling back into Democratic hands in November, a factor they asserted was linked to insufficient support for President Trump.

Tillis now heads to his first official reelection battle in November, where the one-term senator will face a Democratic challenger in a state expected to be a battleground in the fall. His seat is rated “leans Republican” by The Cook Political Report.

He first won election to the Senate in 2014, defeating incumbent Sen. Kay Hagan (D-N.C.) for her seat by less than 100,000 votes.