Convention Move Could Deny Tillis Spotlight In Senate Race

North Carolina Senator Thom Tillis has released his first television ad of the general election, but a valuable chance to be part of the national GOP spotlight could elude him if the Republican convention leaves Charlotte.

Tillis' campaign has spent more than $750,000 to run the new ad on television and online.

It features the first-term Republican talking about a childhood where the family lived paycheck to paycheck and made frequent moves. 

But while that's hitting living rooms across the state, Tillis is also facing the possibility of losing a chance to campaign alongside prominent Republicans in his political home state if the GOP moves their 2020 convention out of Charlotte.

It's scheduled for August. President Trump says he wants assurances from Gov. Roy Cooper that a capacity crowd will be allowed at the convention despite coronavirus fears. Cooper's office responded that the decision on such a large gathering will be based on science and data.

Governors from Florida and Georgia have already made pitches to have the convention in their state if negotiations here fail.

Democrats see Tillis as vulnerable in this election — his approval rating among North Carolina voters has been consistently underwater and polling shows a close race between him and Democrat Cal Cunningham.

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