Just going to leave this here:
Tillis is already running scared of having to vote for this:
Reporting from Senate Republicans’ meeting yesterday to discuss ongoing disagreements and discord within their own caucus on their Big Beautiful Betrayal made it clear that additional members know how disastrout this bill would be for their constituents. Per Punchbowl:
“Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) handed out a flyer listing 10 states that would stand to lose the most amount of federal Medicaid funding over the next decade. North Carolina would forfeit the most by far — $38.9 billion, according to Tillis. That includes nearly $10 billion in lost hospital receipts. At the bottom, the flyer stated: “Medicaid coverage for over 600,000 North Carolinians would be at risk.”
“Sen. Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), who has stayed relatively quiet in public, also spoke up during the meeting, saying the provider tax language is bad for his state.”
And Tillis is already feeling it back home:
A group of educators and health advocates urged Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) to take a stand against the Republican-led budget reconciliation package, warning of dire consequences for rural North Carolinians.
The press conference, organized by progressive group Down Home North Carolina, featured speakers who shared their experiences with rural education and health care and said the cuts prescribed by President Donald Trump’s proposed “big, beautiful bill” would cause significant harm to both.
The House version of the bill, passed in May, would cut Medicaid funding by nearly $900 billion and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program by $295 billion over the next decade, according to estimates by the Congressional Budget Office. Cuts to Medicaid at the federal level could also end North Carolina’s Medicaid expansion, which automatically reverts if federal matching funds fall below a certain threshold.
“We should not argue about whether children eat lunch or not,” said Kim Morrison, the former superintendent of Mount Airy City Schools. “We are a wealthy community as America, and we can take care of those that are less fortunate than us by giving free meals to them and free support for their health.”
Morrison said the federal funding cuts jeopardize not only the wellbeing of those who utilize the programs, but also the financial solvency of rural schools, hospitals, and grocery stores that depend on those dollars. She added that school programs that can easily be taken for granted — like Mount Airy’s student-operated Blue Bear Cafe and summer educational Blue Bear Bus — are made possible in part by federal funding, as are many beloved community programs.
And Tillis knows a strong Democrat is waiting in the wings:
Democrats acknowledge Roy Cooper as their strongest potential candidate to run for Senate in North Carolina in 2026.
Yet with the former governor undecided and the odds of him launching a bid still being around 50-50, some Democrats are at least starting to reckon with the question: If not Cooper, then who?
“I know three people who told me they would immediately declare if Cooper doesn’t,” Rep. Deborah Ross of North Carolina told NOTUS. “And those folks who are interested are already making plans.” (Ross would not name them.)
Cooper is widely seen as the strongest challenger against two-term Republican Sen. Thom Tillis, particularly in a cycle where retirements and other circumstances have configured a tough election map for Democrats. Having never lost an election in a multi-faceted political career, Cooper has received continuous pressure from the party to join the race after terming out as North Carolina’s governor in 2024. Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee chair Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand privately told donors in January that Cooper would be a “formidable candidate.”
With several months until the filing deadline, Democrats have indicated to NOTUS that there isn’t a current sprint to find Cooper alternatives. However, they concede there are a lot of Democrats who are waiting in the wings should Cooper decide against it.
Until then, if you are one Tillis’ constituents, he needs to keep having the shit scared out of. Click here to contact Tillis’ office to voted down the Big Beautiful Betrayal.
And click here to donate and get involved with the North Carolina Democratic Party.
