Before this year’s General Assembly session concluded, Speaker of the House Thom Tillis, R-Mecklenburg, was already on the campaign trail, having traveled to
There are signs he already has State Budget Director Art Pope on board, which should mean a fundraising pipeline is already being set up. Organizations in Pope’s political network spent more than $4 million over the 2010 and 2012 election cycles, helping set up Republican supermajorities in the General Assembly and making Pat McCrory governor.
Americans for Prosperity, a group Pope helped lead before joining McCrory’s staff, came out praising Tillis on tax reform in June at the same time it ran web ads attacking U.S. Sen. Kay Hagan on renewable energy.
Pope’s opponents have called him “the third Koch brother” and attempted to cast him and AFP as political boogeymen, but the power of that characterization may be lessening as they’re brought into the mainstream of the process.
Tillis made a point of tweeting out a YouTube video by AFP regarding the tax reform measure, embracing the endorsement.
“I don’t think you can overestimate what a breath of fresh air Thom Tillis is as speaker of the House,” Pope said in an April 2012 cover story for Business North Carolina.
He added, “He’s a straight-forward and common-sense guy.”
Backing Tillis in a multicandidate GOP U.S. Senate primary — anticipated to include state Senate President Pro Tempore Phil Berger, R-Rockingham — could be the next logical move for Pope and his affiliated political groups.
“I think Art Pope is looking at, ‘What is the best way for us to continue to influence and expand our political opportunities’?” said Michael Bitzer, professor at
Berger could present the biggest obstacle between Tillis and the GOP nomination.
“He is very seriously eying (the race), and he is, certainly by the standards of the state, and to some degree the Republican Party, toward the more conservative end,” said Thomas Eamon, professor at ECU, in April.
Political observers watched the General Assembly session play out in
“The possibility that Senate leader Phil Berger could enter the race — and move to Tillis’ right — would add a whole new dynamic to the Republican primary field as two legislative leaders govern the state by their future ambition,” said The News & Observer’s “Morning Roundup” column on May 31.
Bitzer said he wouldn’t be able to call a favorite if the primary comes down to pro-business, fiscal conservative money versus social conservative activism.
“It’s an interesting battle, I think, between the financial resources of people like Art Pope versus the grassroots energy and passion of tea party social conservatives — that wing of the Republican Party,” Bitzer said. “And the GOP nominating battle could potentially be between the two. No party is perfectly pure, and particularly within the Republican Party right now, there is no pure ideological strain through it.”
State Labor Commissioner Cherie Berry and Lt. Gov.
In a poll conducted July 12-14 by Democratic-leaning firm Public Policy Polling, Hagan leads Tillis in a potential matchup 49 percent to 38 percent, leads Berger 49 percent to 39 percent and leads Brannon by the same percentage.
Wes Wolfe can be reached at 252-559-1075 and Wes.Wolfe@Kinston.com. Follow him on Twitter @WolfeReports.
Breakout Box
2014 U.S. Senate polling matchups
Kay Hagan — 49 percent
Thom Tillis — 38 percent
Kay Hagan — 49 percent
Phil Berger — 39 percent
Kay Hagan — 49 percent
Greg Brannon — 39 percent
Poll conducted July 12-14 with a 4 percent margin of error.
Source: Public Policy Polling