North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis is — once again — stuck between a rock and a hard place.
The Republican can’t cross President Donald Trump, lest he anger the GOP base and draw a primary challenge. But he could be facing a bruising general election race against former Gov. Roy Cooper, if the popular Democrat chooses to run. And Tillis must survive the first without moving too far to the right to win the second.
“He’s got an odd situation where he’s got to try to keep on Trump’s good side in the primary but if he goes too far hugging Trump, it could hurt him in the general election,” said one veteran North Carolina GOP strategist.
The calculations Tillis must make were on display earlier this year when he ultimately decided to support Trump's controversial nominee for secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth. After wavering — and after Trump reportedly mused about backing a potential primary challenger —Tillis provided the crucial deciding vote.
But last week Tillis showed more independence from Trump on tariffs, saying during a hearing with U.S.
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