Democrats’ path to retaking control of the U.S. Senate continues to narrow now that the Democratic Senate candidate in North Carolina, Cal Cunningham, has conceded to incumbent Sen. Thom Tills (R).
In a statement on Tuesday afternoon, Cunningham said, “I just called Senator Tillis to congratulate him on winning reelection to a second term in the U.S. Senate and wished him and his family the best in their continued service in the months and years ahead.”
Cunningham continued to say the results “suggest there remain deep political divisions in our state and nation,” but he said the “more 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.”
“Though this isn’t the electoral outcome we worked for, I’ll always be grateful to be a North Carolinian, and I’ll always believe that our country’s best days are ahead,” he added.
Read the statement below:
INBOX: Cal Cunningham says he has called GOP Sen. Thom Tillis to concede the #NCSEN race pic.twitter.com/M3hWsVafl8
— Johnny Verhovek (@JTHVerhovek) November 10, 2020
“Earlier this afternoon, Cal Cunningham called me to offer his concession,” Tillis said in a tweet. “This was a hard-fought campaign and I wish nothing but the best to Cal and his family going forward.”
“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,” he added.
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.
— Thom Tillis (@ThomTillis) November 10, 2020
The vote count at 4 p.m. EST found Tillis leading Cunningham by 1.7%, with 97% of the vote counted.
In the months leading up to the election, polls showed Cunningham had the edge over Tillis. But the race began to narrow in October after it was revealed that Cunningham engaged in an extramarital affair.
Before the election, Democrats were optimistic about their chances of regaining control of the Senate. The non-partisan Cook Political Report rated seven Republican-held seats as “toss-up” races.
However, as of Tuesday, their chances for winning control of the chamber continued to narrow. With Cunningham’s concession, five of the seven Republicans in toss-up races had won their reelection bids.
Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) is leading his race. However, it has yet to be called as of Tuesday afternoon.
And there will be two special elections for Georgia’s Senate seats. If Sullivan wins his race, those races will determine if Republicans retain control of the Senate.
If Democrats win both of the races in Georgia, there would be a 50-50 split with Vice President-elect Kamala Harris (D) casting the tie-breaking vote.
