Oct 18, 2023 - Politics

U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis, the bipartisan pickleball caucus leader

Lucille Sherman

Photo: Courtesy of U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis' office

Probably not on your bingo card for 2023: North Carolina's longest serving U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis is the ringleader of the bipartisan Senate pickleball caucus, NPR reports.

Driving the news: Once a week, Tillis, fellow caucus co-chairs West Virginia Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst and other lawmakers put politics aside and play one of the fastest growing sports in the country.

Why it matters: Not even our U.S. senators can resist the pickleball hype.

Between the lines: It's also no surprise that a caucus designed to use the sport as a way to build camaraderie is led by Tillis, who's earned the reputation of "bipartisan dealmaker."

"It's kind of hard to treat people in an untoward way if you've been out on pickleball court, on a mountain bike trail, spent time with them," he told NPR.
"We need more of that."

Add Axios on Google

U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis, the bipartisan pickleball caucus leader

More Raleigh stories