Thom Tillis Declares Victory in Tight NC Senate Race Even Though No Winner Yet Named

Republican Sen. Thom Tillis declared victory over Democratic challenger Cal Cunningham even though the Associated Press has not yet called a winner in the tight North Carolina race. 

Tillis currently holds 48.7 percent of the vote to Cunningham's 46.9 percent, with 93 percent of the total vote counted.

Several Democratic counties in the Tarheel State have only reported about 90 percent of their returns, leaving Cunningham the ability to narrow the margin between him and Tillis. 

But Tillis believes his lead is insurmountable, declaring victory. 

"Senator Thom Tillis won the most expensive United States Senate race in history," the Tillis campaign said in a statement. "Tillis' victory proved pollsters, pundits, and the media wrong, as North Carolinians once again chose a problem solver who keeps his promises and delivers results."

The senator even thanked his supporters in a speech Tuesday night, calling it "a stunning victory."

It was perhaps the most closely-watched race of the year, as first-term Tillis scrambled to hold his seat against a Democrat mired in scandal. 

Cunningham, a Lt. Col. in the Army Reserves, gave Democrats great hope to knock off Tillis, but he was discovered to have been sending sexually explicit texts to one woman and having an extramarital affair with another. He apologized and has resumed his lead in the polls. The state's Democratic governor was heard on an open mic telling Joe Biden that despite Cunningham hurting Democrats statewide, they will drag him "across the (finish) line."

Tillis, who previously served as Speaker of the North Carolina House of Representatives, trailed Cunningham days before the election but appeared with President Trump during a Fayetteville rally Monday. 

"I have to work hard because keeping up with the president is hard enough," he said. "I got to work at least as hard as him and I will, all through the election and for as long as I'm a US senator."

Tillis' success could determine whether his party keeps its majority in the Senate since North Carolina is one of the battleground states in this election. This race is the only US Senate race for North Carolina in this election. 

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