Cook Political Report: “The bottom line is that Tillis has struggled to regain his footing among conservatives in the state after starting to cross Trump last year on emergency funding for the border wall before relenting to side with the president. North Carolina is going to be a closely-fought race at the presidential level too and has a competitive governor’s race. This Senate contest could well end up deciding the balance of power in the chamber, and Democrats are encouraged that primary turnout was up over 2016.”

“We are moving this race from Lean Republican to Toss Up.”

“Democrats are growing alarmed about Republican attempts to prop up an insurgent liberal candidate in North Carolina — fearful that GOP meddling will undercut the party’s prospects in a key Senate contest,” Politico reports.

“What seems like a generic campaign ad pitching Erica Smith, a North Carolina state senator, as ‘the only proven progressive’ in the state’s high-profile Senate race is actually part of a multimillion dollar investment from a mysterious super PAC — the innocuously named ‘Faith and Power PAC’ — with apparent ties to Republicans.”

Rep. Mark Walker (R-NC) is actively considering a primary campaign against several fellow Republicans next year, including a potential bid against Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC), after new congressional district maps have put the three-term congressman’s political future in doubt, The Hill reports.

Walker’s campaign paid for two polls in recent weeks, testing his chances against both Tillis and Rep. Ted Budd (R-NC).

“Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) began the Trump era by negotiating with Democrats on immigration and co-authoring legislation to protect special counsel Robert Mueller. He even briefly opposed President Trump’s national emergency to build a border wall,” Politico reports.

“But now the North Carolina Republican’s independent streak is fading. He’s deploying the president as a shield against a conservative primary challenger and he’s hugging Trump tightly.”

A new Public Policy Polling survey in North Carolina finds Cal Cunningham (D) edging Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) in a closely watched Senate race, 45% to 43%, with 12% still unsure.

A new Public Policy Polling survey in North Carolina finds Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) barely leading Republican primary challenger Garland Tucker (R), 38% to 31%, with another 31% undecided.

“Rep. Mark Walker has decided not to launch a primary challenge against Sen. Thom Tillis in North Carolina, in a relief to senior Republicans who feared a scorched-earth battle in a key state,” Politico reports.

A new Emerson College poll in North Carolina finds Sen. Tom Tillis (R) trails possible challenger state Sen. Erica Smith (D) by seven points, 39% to 46%, with 15% still undecided.

Washington Examiner: “Republican leaders in the Senate are aggressively defending Sen. Thom Tillis, with plans to carpet bomb primary challenger Garland Tucker across the North Carolina airwaves if he jeopardizes the incumbent’s 2020 reelection.”

Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) has drawn a Republican challenger in 2020, the Raleigh News & Observer reports.

“Garland Tucker III, the retired chairman and CEO of Triangle Capital Corporation and an author, filed paperwork with the Federal Election Committee to run in the Republican primary on Monday. Tucker wrote Conservative Heroes: Fourteen Leaders Who Changed America — Jefferson to Reagan and has served on the board of the John Locke Foundation and the Raleigh-based Civitas Institute.”

Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) is under fire from conservative activists for supporting a Democratic effort to block President Trump’s emergency declaration to fund his border wall, The Hill reports.

“The activists have also raised Tillis’s legislation to shield special counsel Robert Mueller from any interference by Trump. Some county GOP party leaders are openly calling for Tillis to face a primary challenge.”