Tillis Begins Final Push To Close Gap With Cunningham

Republican U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis dropped off his mail ballot in Cornelius Wednesday morning and spoke to reporters before campaigning in Asheville this afternoon. Among the topics of conversation: Tillis criticized Democratic opponent Cal Cunningham following Cunningham's apology earlier this month for the “hurt he has caused in his personal life” after it was revealed he had an affair.

First-term Sen. Tillis spoke outside Cornelius Town Hall in the rain.

"People need to understand what’s really at stake," he said. "A senator you can trust who made promises and kept them, or a candidate who has run on trust and honor and who has been untruthful and dishonorable."

The Army has said it is investigating Cunningham, presumably over the affair.

Tillis has been in Washington D.C. where he voted on Monday to confirm Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court – even after Tillis said four years ago that the Senate shouldn’t confirm President Obama's Supreme Court nominee Merrick Garland because it was an election year.

"I would tell them we had a lame-duck president and a divided Congress," Tillis said. "And now we have a Supreme Court Justice that the majority of American people think should be there."

Tillis said he expects Congress to approve a COVID-19 relief bill during the lame-duck session after the election. He tested positive for the coronavirus earlier this month and has since recovered.

After the Cornelius stop, he was scheduled to attend an event in Asheville with Texas Sen. Ted Cruz.

Cunningham has led for most of the race, but recent polls show the Senate race tightening. Cunningham has done some in-person campaign events in the last two weeks, but isn’t talking to the media.

Cunningham's Twitter feed shows he was campaigning in Forsyth County on Wednesday.