Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) will have a Republican challenger in his 2020 reelection bid, according to a new Federal Election Committee filing, first reported by the News and Observer.
Conservative author and retired CEO of Triangle Capital Corporation Garland Tucker submitted his paperwork for the primary on Monday. An official announcement from Tucker is expected soon.
“A group of us have been encouraging Garland to run,” Carter Wrenn, a Republican consultant working for Tucker’s campaign, told the News and Observer. “Like a lot of conservatives, I look at Washington and just shake my head. Tillis is sort of a typical Washington politician.”
Tillis was notably criticized by some in his caucus for voting alongside Democrats to block President Trump’s national emergency declaration and supporting legislation that protected special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation. Tillis eventually flipped and voted in favor of the national emergency after receiving backlash for his initial decision.
