On Tuesday, democratic challenger Cal Cunningham conceded defeat to Sen. Thom Tillis in a highly contested U.S. Senate race in North Carolina. According to the North Carolina State Board of Elections, Tillis had 2,642,884 votes or 48.71% to Cunningham’s 2,547,594 votes or 46.95%The presidential vote in the state is close enough that many major media outlets have not called the race for either President Donald Trump (49.96%) or President-elect Joe Biden (48.59%).
Cunningham, a lawyer and retired Army lieutenant colonel, posted on social media that he called Tillis to congratulate him on his win, tweeting: “The voters have spoken and I respect their decision. While the results of this election suggest there remain deep political divisions in our state and nation, the complete story of our country lies in what unites us: our faith and sense of confidence in our democracy, our civic values and common humanity, our shared aspiration to care for one another, and our belief that we live in a country that does exceptional things.”
Tillis acknowledged his win on social media, tweeting, “I am incredibly humbled by the chance to serve the people of North Carolina in the United States Senate for six more years and I pledge to continue keeping my promises and delivering results. I know that my job is fighting for the jobs of the hardworking people of our state, which is why my first post-election priority will be defeating COVID-19 and getting the economy back on track.”
Tillis was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 2014 and was also a member of the North Carolina House of Representatives, serving as speaker starting in 2011.
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