{"id":2421588,"date":"2025-04-09T11:41:04","date_gmt":"2025-04-09T15:41:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wiley-nickel-challenging-thom-tillis-for-north-carolina-senate-seat\/"},"modified":"2025-04-09T11:42:24","modified_gmt":"2025-04-09T15:42:24","slug":"wiley-nickel-challenging-thom-tillis-for-north-carolina-senate-seat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wiley-nickel-challenging-thom-tillis-for-north-carolina-senate-seat\/","title":{"rendered":"Wiley Nickel challenging Thom Tillis for North Carolina Senate seat"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fwiley-nickel-challenging-thom-tillis-for-north-carolina-senate-seat%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2421588&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Wiley Nickel, a former Democratic representative from North Carolina, has entered the race to challenge Republican Senator Thom Tillis for his seat in the 2026 Senate elections. Nickel, who chose not to seek reelection in 2024 due to redistricting issues, is positioning himself as a strong contender in what is predicted to be a <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\">highly competitive race<\/a>. In his campaign announcement, he criticized tillis for lacking the courage to oppose former President Donald Trump, emphasizing his commitment to fight for a better future for North Carolinians.<\/p>\n<p>Nickel is the first major Democratic candidate to announce his candidacy for the Senate, as North Carolina Democrats have not held a Senate seat as 2014. Despite Tillis&#8217;s seat being rated as &#8220;lean Republican,&#8221; the elections may see stronger Democratic contenders emerging, including former Governor Roy Cooper, though Cooper has not yet declared his intentions. Nickel has expressed admiration for Cooper and focused his campaign strategy on defeating Tillis, who he accuses of aligning too closely with Trump\u2019s policies. <\/p>\n<p>In recent years, Democrats in North Carolina have found some electoral success despite broader challenges, winning several <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/state-races-to-watch-in-the-2023-elections\/\" title=\"Key ... ...s to monitor in the upcoming 2023 elections.\">key state races<\/a> while dealing with the complexities introduced by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/senators-gear-up-for-chaotic-post-recess-return-to-washington\/\" title=\"Senators prepare for tumultuous return to Washington after recess.\">shifting political dynamics<\/a> in the midterms.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Wiley Nickel challenging Thom Tillis for North Carolina Senate seat<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2087070\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>Former <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/north-carolina\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">North Carolina<\/a> Democratic Rep. Wiley Nickel is hopping back into national politics and seeking to oust Sen. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/thom-tillis\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Thom Tillis<\/a> (R-NC) in what is expected to be one of the most competitive Senate races in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/2026-elections\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">2026 midterm elections<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Nickel, who opted not to run for reelection in 2024 due to <a href=\"http:\/\/washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/redistricting\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">redistricting<\/a> in North Carolina, announced his campaign for the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/senate\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Senate<\/a> on Wednesday.<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/3374582\/ken-paxton-launches-campaign-senate-unseat-john-cornyn\/\">Ken Paxton launches campaign for Senate to unseat John Cornyn in Texas<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/3374436\/watch-live-trump-remarks-nrcc-dinner\/\">WATCH LIVE: Trump gives remarks at National Republican Congressional Committee dinner<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/3373517\/chris-sununu-declines-new-hampshire-senate-run-trump-endorsement\/\">Chris Sununu declines New Hampshire Senate run despite Trump endorsement<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>&ldquo;Trump is shredding our Constitution and tanking our economy,&rdquo; Nickel said in a post on X. &ldquo;Thom Tillis lacks the courage to stand up to him &mdash; I&rsquo;ll be damned if I&rsquo;m going to sit on the sidelines. I&rsquo;m running to fight for a better future for North Carolinians.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Trump is shredding our Constitution and tanking our economy. Thom Tillis lacks the courage to stand up to him &mdash; I&rsquo;ll be damned if I&rsquo;m going to sit on the sidelines.<br \/>&nbsp;<br \/>I&rsquo;m running to fight for a better future for North Carolinians.<br \/>&nbsp;<br \/>Join our campaign &mdash; let&rsquo;s take back the Senate. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/aHHXJFjJvF\">pic.twitter.com\/aHHXJFjJvF<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Wiley Nickel &#127482;&#127480; (@WileyNickel) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/WileyNickel\/status\/1909970405705634160?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">April 9, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script> <\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Nickel&rsquo;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/2623891\/calling-it-quits-two-more-house-members-head-for-the-exits-in-latest-departure-wave\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">retirement<\/a> after just one term in the House due to redistricting changes paved the way for the GOP to flip the seat in 2024. The former congressman is an attorney and former Obama administration staffer.<\/p>\n<p>He is the first major Democratic candidate to launch a campaign for the Senate in 2026, when there are only a handful of competitive races. Tillis&rsquo;s seat is rated &ldquo;lean Republican&rdquo; by the nonpartisan <em>Cook Political Report<\/em>, but North Carolina Democrats haven&rsquo;t held a Senate seat since former Sen. Kay Hagan lost in 2014.<\/p>\n<p>Nickel could face a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/what-to-watch-in-delaware-new-hampshire-and-rhode-island-primaries-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"What to watch in Delaware, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island primaries - Washington Examiner\">strong primary challenger<\/a> in former Gov. Roy Cooper, who has been the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theassemblync.com\/politics\/nc-senate-roy-cooper-democrats-2026-election\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">dream candidate<\/a> for Democrats. Cooper spent two terms in the Executive Mansion and won reelection despite President Donald Trump winning North Carolina in 2020. Cooper, so far, has been noncommittal on any plans.<\/p>\n<p>The former congressman avoided a question on whether he would stay in the race if Cooper launched a bid in an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/live-updates\/2025\/04\/09\/congress\/wiley-nickel-senate-north-carolina-00279297\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">interview<\/a> with <em>Politico.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I have absolutely nothing but good things to say about former Governor Roy Cooper,&rdquo; Nickel said. &ldquo;My focus is Thom Tillis, who is voting over and over with Donald Trump on disastrous policies that are going to harm North Carolina.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Attorney General Jeff Jackson, who also served one term in the House before seeking state office, is also rumored to be a Democratic contender.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/3307252\/most-consequential-senate-races-2026\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">WHERE THE MOST CONSEQUENTIAL SENATE RACES OF 2026 ARE HEADED<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Despite the losses Democrats took in the presidential and congressional races in 2024, North Carolina Democrats experienced several victories. Democrats won races for governor, attorney general, and secretary of state &mdash; despite Trump winning the state.<\/p>\n<p>Republicans have struggled with midterm election turnout with Trump off the ticket. With the president no longer a candidate, Republicans seek to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/3307157\/nrcc-chief-2026-house-majority-compelling-candidates\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">build a winning coalition<\/a> that lasts beyond a single political figure.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_2087070\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"2087070\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Wiley Nickel is running against Thom Tillis for the NC Senate seat<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2648,"featured_media":2421589,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/AP23348599350675.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[32431,53129,41388,53128],"class_list":["post-2421588","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-2024-election","tag-north-carolina-senate","tag-thom-tillis","tag-wiley-nickel"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/AP23348599350675.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2421588","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2648"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2421588"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2421588\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2421592,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2421588\/revisions\/2421592"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2421589"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2421588"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2421588"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2421588"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}