GOP Sen. Thom Tillis Wins Reelection In North Carolina After Democrat Concedes

Republican Sen. Thom Tillis has won reelection in North Carolina as Democratic challenger Cal Cunningham conceded on Tuesday. Democrats were hoping to oust Tillis and several other GOP incumbents and take control of the Senate next year, but this latest loss is part of what became a Republican firewall in states in the South and West that positions the party to retain their majority.

Cunningham said in a statement that he had called Tillis to congratulate him.

"The voters have spoken and I respect their decision," Cunningham said.

The Associated Press has not yet called the race for Tillis, saying it was still too close to call.

Now Senate control is set to be determined by the outcome of two runoff elections in Georgia on Jan 5. The Alaska Senate race is not decided yet, but Republicans are confident that GOP Sen. Dan Sullivan will win there.

Money flowed into more than a dozen competitive 2020 Senate contests, but North Carolina was among the top-tier races, as the parties broke records spending more than $250 million on this one seat.

Democrats have long hoped to make headway in the state's large and growing suburban areas near Charlotte and around the research triangle near Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill. President Trump's approval ratings in those areas have fallen in recent years, giving Democrats hope of eventually turning the once reliably Republican state in their favor.

The presidential race in the state has still not been called by The Associated Press, either, but the president is ahead in the vote count and it appears unlikely Joe Biden will be able to overtake him.

The race between Tillis and Cunningham, a retired military officer, was tight for months, but the Democrat lost ground when reports surfaced about his marital infidelity involving the wife of a veteran. He admitted and apologized for his actions, but then limited campaign appearances.

Tillis, who contracted the coronavirus after attending a White House event for Amy Coney Barrett, the president's nominee for the Supreme Court, was briefly sidelined from the trail. But he returned for Barrett's confirmation and campaigned as a strong supporter of President Trump's.

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