ELECTION/ENDORSEMENT/GOP/TRUMP PEOPLE: “President Donald Trump waded into North Carolina’s Senate primary on Tuesday [6-25-19] and endorsed GOP Sen. Thom Tillis, who faces a primary challenge from a Republican businessman and a potentially tough general election campaign in a presidential swing state. Tillis has faced pressure from conservatives frustrated by some high-profile breaks with the president, including an op-ed criticizing the Trump’s declaration of a national emergency at the U.S.-Mexico border — though Tillis ultimately voted to back the president when the Senate passed a resolution disapproving of the emergency…Garland Tucker, a wealthy businessman in the state, is waging a primary challenge against Tillis, accusing the senator of being insufficiently supportive of Trump. Tucker has already spent more than $500,000 on television ads to jump-start his campaign. But Tillis’ allies have pushed back significantly against Tucker, including circulating an op-ed he wrote during the 2016 campaign in which he criticized the president personally but said he intended to vote for him.”
–James Arkin, “Trump endorses Tillis in North Carolina,” Politico, June 25, 2019 7:57 pm