The Guardian is reporting that over the weekend, the North Carolina Republican Party voted to censure U.S. Senator Thom Tillis “after his support of gun control and same-sex marriage.”
More than 1,000 delegates gathered for the party’s annual convention and voted behind closed doors Saturday. Tillis first took office in 2015, and according to the report, his office issued a statement saying he does not apologize for his voting record.
Tillis was one of 15 Republicans in the Senate to vote in favor of Joe Biden’s gun control package last year.
In 2021, Wyoming Republicans voted to censure former Congresswoman Liz Cheney for voting to impeach then-President Donald Trump in 2015. That vote, and her participation in the January 6 committee investigation cost Cheney her seat when she lost in the primary last year.
Some Republicans think the censure was a bad idea, however.
According to the Associated Press, North Carolina State Sen. Bobby Hanig doesn’t want to upset Tillis, who has, in his opinion, done lots of good for the state.
“Senator Tillis does a lot for North Carolina, he does a lot for the coastal communities,” Hanig reportedly stated, “so why would I want to make him mad?”
On the other hand, GOP Delegate Jim Forster, told a reporter, “We need people who are unwavering in their support for conservative ideals. His recent actions don’t reflect the party’s shift to the right — in fact, they’re moving in the exact wrong direction.”
It is not clear whether this vote could jeopardize Tillis’ future as a senator representing North Carolina. He was re-elected in 2020, so he still has three years remaining in this term before he will need to run again.
