N.C. swing-voter focus groups: Negative on Tillis while supporting Trump
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N.C. Republican Sen. Thom Tillis, left, and Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins wait for President Trump to give remarks at Fort Bragg, N.C. Photo: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
A majority of North Carolina swing voters in our latest Engagious/Sago focus groups expressed skepticism about re-electing N.C. Sen. Thom Tillis, even as they broadly support President Trump's policies, especially on immigration.
Why it matters: While a focus group is not a statistically significant sample like a poll, the responses show how some voters are thinking and talking about current events.
The big picture: The Biden-to-Trump voters' said they could not point to any actions he has taken as senator, and only one of the 12 focus group attendees said they would be likely to vote for him.
- "After more than a decade, Sen. Tillis remains largely unknown to these North Carolina swing voters," said Rich Thau, President of Engagious, who moderated the focus groups.
State of play: Tillis, who faced some backlash from Republicans for his stances on some Trump appointees, looks likely to face a tough re-election campaign next year — especially if former N.C. Gov. Roy Cooper, a Democrat, enters the race.
How it works: Axios observed two Engagious/Sago online focus groups Tuesday night comprising 12 North Carolinians, all of whom said they voted for Biden in 2020, then Trump in 2024. Nine are independents and three are Republicans.
What they're saying: "I['ve] just seen so much stuff on TV ... around election time that just had a bad imprint on my mind. You say his name, it's like saying Joe Biden to me," Ashley B., 36, of Arden, said of Tillis.
- "He hasn't done much for North Carolina, in my opinion," Karen L, 61, of Wilmington said.
Driving the news: Top of mind for the focus group, however, was the topic of immigration, especially with so much media coverage focused on anti-ICE protests in Los Angeles.
- A majority of the focus group said they support President Trump's deportations and activation of the National Guard and Marines in Los Angeles, despite reservations about extremism and civil rights violations.
- Seven of 12 panelists said they support the president's activation of the National Guard and Marines in L.A. despite Gov. Gavin Newsom's and local officials' objections. Three disapproved; two didn't have an opinion.
Between the lines: Several panelists cited concerns about the economy, tariffs and political corruption.
- A majority objected to Trump's moves to cut university research (though many were unsure of the nature of the cuts) as well as the prospect of Medicaid cuts as part of the spending and tax-cut bill before Congress.
- Research funding cuts are already leading to job and investment cuts at UNC and Duke, both among the state's largest employers.
- After a decade of debate, Medicaid was expanded in North Carolina last year by the Republican-led General Assembly, giving hundreds of thousands of people coverage.
- "The people that need [Medicaid benefits], I mean they really need them," said Kimberly S., 37, of Sanford. "They need to be able to survive with medications and things like that."
Go deeper on the North Carolina focus group of swing voters
Editor's note: This story has been corrected to show that the group comprised Biden-to-Trump voters (not Trump-to-Biden voters).