2020 North Carolina US Senate Voters Guide
Cal Cunningham (D) vs Thom Tillis (R)
The Candidates
Yes. “Strengthen and extend coverage under the ACA.” Wants North Carolina to expand Medicaid.
No. Voted to repeal ACA. Calls it “a failed health care plan.” Would protect pre-existing conditions, but with no lifetime cost cap.
Yes. Supports HR1 and wants to eliminate “dark money” donations from anonymous donors. Overturn Citizens United decision.No position found.
No position found.
Yes. “One of the most urgent issues facing us.” State has “seen the effects of climate change firsthand through the historic storms and flooding.” Supports efforts to move to 100% renewable energy by 2050, rejoin Paris Agreement and train workers for green jobs.
Mixed. Previously doubted human role and supported Trump withdrawal from Paris climate agreement. Now sees climate change as solvable with “responsible market-driven solutions.” Supported Trump rule easing emission limits on coal-fired power plants.
No. Administration “was caught flat-footed and continues to botch [its] response.” Needed more protective equipment.
Service and infrastructure projects to “put people to work,” support for rural hospitals, more unemployment benefits, aid to farmers and greater oversight of federal response.
A “Cold War-style approach” to punish China for its virus response. End federal regulations to make it easier for businesses.
No. Supports phasing out school vouchers to pay for private-school tuition.
Yes. Supports vouchers for students to attend private schools with government assistance.
Tighten. As a state senator, supported a Clean Smokestacks Act, requiring coal-fired power plants to reduce carbon emissions.
Loosen. Supports Trump EPA head Andrew Wheeler’s attempts to loosen regulations as needless red tape. Environmental groups have criticized Wheeler’s actions.
Tighten. Early backer of Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Address “tax loopholes … that benefit corporations and the wealthy.”
Loosen. Voted in favor of rolling back Dodd-Frank banking regulations. Says the CFPB needs more “oversight from Congress.”
Yes. Wants to “expand background checks, ban high-capacity magazines, pass red-flag laws and fund gun-violence research.”
No. Supports promoting Second Amendment rights. Co-sponsored bill to allow concealed- handgun carry across state lines.
Yes. Calls for “comprehensive immigration reform” that “protects DREAMers and provides a fair pathway to citizenship.”
Yes, 15-year process paired with increased border security, limits on sponsoring relatives, and revocation of status for any violation.
Mixed. Against Trump diverting funds from military bases for border wall, but wants a mix of “physical barriers, technology and manpower.”
Yes. Called Trump’s declaration of a national emergency to extend the wall executive overreach. Later voted for it as giving president tools to “keep America safe.”
Yes. Was “appalled the Senate did not hear from witnesses or request documents.” Would “vote to convict” Trump. Considers him bad role model for the next generation.
No. Said impeachment “motivated by partisan politics.” Voted “no,” and against allowing witnesses. “Trump deserves to be defended.”
Unclear. Sees killing of Iranian general as “high risk.” “Congress needs to reassert its role in conducting military operations.”
No. Voted against a bipartisan Senate resolution requiring congressional authorization for military action in Iran.
Mixed. Endorsed by major unions. Calls for a “living wage” and defending workplace protections. In 2014 endorsed state’s unique “right-to-work laws.”
Yes. Co-sponsored National Right to Work Act. As state speaker of the House, vowed to keep North Carolina “the least unionized state in the United States.”
Legal. Believes “a woman’s choice is a woman’s right [and] will always defend Roe v. Wade against partisan attacks.”
Ban. Signed a brief asking the Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade. “I will never stop fighting for the sanctity of life.”
Yes. Wants to stand “with the LGBTQI community and communities of color in the fight against regressive policies.”
Mostly no. In 2012 helped add same-sex- marriage ban to North Carolina constitution. Supported repeal of “bathroom bill.”
Yes. Supports “allowing states to develop own regulation and taxation of cannabis.”
No. Opposes marijuana legalization, but backs study of effectiveness for medical use.
Yes. Supports “raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour and eliminating the subminimum wage.”
No recent position found. In 2014 opposed a federal minimum wage, calling it a “defeatist mentality” compared to focusing on jobs.
Yes. “Will strongly oppose partisan efforts in Washington to attack and defund Planned Parenthood.”
No. Joined court brief to allow states to prohibit Planned Parenthood receiving funds for non-abortion services.
Mostly yes. Wants to lower the cost of college, let students refinance college loans, fix loan forgiveness and expand Pell Grants. Unclear on forgiving student debt.
Unclear. Supported Trump rule making it harder for students to discharge their loans if defrauded by for-profit schools. Joined unanimous vote supporting Minority Serving Institutions. No student debt position found.
No. Overwhelmingly benefits “the largest corporations and the ultra-wealthy while leaving middle-class and poor … behind.”
Yes. Called the tax cuts “historic tax reform that will lead to bigger paychecks for hard-working Americans.”
No. Supports reinstating protections under the Voting Rights Act. Supports automatic and same-day registration and early voting.
Yes. Under Speaker Tillis, the N.C. House passed a package of restrictive election rules, later overturned by the U.S. Court of Appeals.