By 2 a.m. on Wednesday, signs were strong that Republican Sen. Thom Tillis — who had trailed in polls almost up to Nov. 3 — had narrowly pulled off reelection over the long-presumed favorite and Democrat candidate Cal Cunningham.
With 93% of the vote in, The Associated Press reported that Tillis was leading 48.7% to 46.9% for Cunningham — or roughly by 97,000 votes out of more than 5 million cast.
Veteran Raleigh political analyst and TV host Marc Rotterman had predicted to Newsmax that “Tillis will win in a squeaker by less than 15,000.”
If the count continues to bring down Tillis’ margin to around the 15,000 figure Rotterman spoke of, there will almost certainly be a first-ever recount of the contest.
Most observers of Tarheel State politics agreed that the final surge of support for President Donald Trump that helped him carry North Carolina spilled over into the Senate race and helped Tillis.
In addition, Tillis was helped by the month-long hammering Cunningham received in the press after admitting to sending sexual texts to a woman who is not his wife. In addition, there were several reports that if Cunningham had the relationship with the woman while on duty as a reserve U.S. Army officer, he could face court martial.
John Gizzi is chief political columnist and White House correspondent for Newsmax. For more of his reports, Go Here Now.
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