Sen. Thom Tillis announces he has coronavirus; NC challenger Cunningham tests negative

Sen. Thom Tillis has tested positive for the coronavirus, the North Carolina Republican announced Friday night.

But, as of Saturday afternoon, none of Tillis’ campaign staff, his wife Susan nor Democratic challenger Cal Cunningham, who participated in a debate with Tillis on Thursday night, have tested positive for the virus.

Tillis has been quarantining in his Huntersville home since he learned of the news, his campaign spokesman said Saturday. Tillis said Saturday night that he had mild symptoms and no fever.

“Over the last few months, I’ve been routinely tested for COVID-19, including testing negative last Saturday, but tonight my rapid antigen test came back positive. I will be following the recommendations of my doctor and will be self-isolating at home for 10 days and notifying those I’ve been in close contact with,” Tillis said in a statement on Friday night.

“Thankfully, I have no symptoms and I feel well. As we all know, COVID-19 is a very contagious and deadly virus, especially because many carriers are asymptomatic. I encourage all North Carolinians to follow the recommendations of medical experts, including wearing a mask, washing hands, and practicing social distancing.

“For any North Carolinian who believes they were exposed to the virus or starts to display symptoms, please call your doctor, self-isolate, and get tested to protect those around you.”

Cunningham’s campaign said on Saturday that he had tested negative for the coronavirus, and added that he would be tested again on Monday.

“I’m wishing @SenThomTillis a quick recovery following his positive COVID-19 test, and am thinking of him and his family. Because I was with Senator Tillis recently on the debate stage, I will also get tested,” Cunningham posted on Twitter on Friday night.

Tillis, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, met with Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barret on Wednesday at the U.S. Capitol. On Thursday, he voted in the Senate, then took a private charter flight to North Carolina for the 7 p.m. debate on Spectrum News.

The campaign

Thursday’s debate was the final one between the candidates in what is one of the most-watched Senate races in the country. Hours after Tillis announced his positive test, Cunningham confirmed the authenticity of sex-related text messages between him and a California woman who is not his wife.

More than 340,000 North Carolina voters had cast their ballots through absentee by-mail voting as of Saturday afternoon.

The election is considered a toss-up and could determine which party controls the chamber in January. Cunningham has held a lead in polling throughout the summer.

The Tillis campaign notified the crew on the flight, Cunningham’s team and Spectrum News of his positive test.

“Our campaign notified the Cunningham campaign and Spectrum News of Senator Tillis’ positive COVID-19 test immediately after he received the results. The Tillis campaign staffers who were exposed to the senator this week will now quarantine and will receive tests in the coming days,” Tillis campaign manager Luke Blanchat said in a statement.

“Our Charlotte campaign headquarters is now closed and we are halting all in-person campaign events until further notice. Additionally, we are reaching out to any individuals who may have come into contact with Senator Tillis during the campaign events we held this week.”

Maureen Huff, a spokesperson for Spectrum owner Charter Communications, said in a statement to McClatchy: “We’ve just learned of the news and are in the process of notifying employees individually. Spectrum News staff followed appropriate safety protocols for the debate, and affected employees who were in close contact with the Senator will follow CDC guidelines and quarantine and/or undergo testing as appropriate. We wish the Senator and all people affected by COVID-19 a speedy recovery.”

Though most of the campaign has been conducted virtually due to the coronavirus pandemic, Tillis has recently held small in-person events. He met with law enforcement leaders in Eastern North Carolina on Tuesday.

Michael Bitzer, a political science professor at Catawba College, said because this year’s campaign is mostly virtual, Tillis’s absence from the campaign trail might not have a great impact.

“With the ad wars and the mailers and the fact that so many minds are pretty much made up — there’s a small percentage, maybe 10% to 13% undecided in that race — things can be done virtually now and it’s all about trying to motivate a base election,” Bitzer said.

Since the beginning of the coronavirus outbreak, Tillis — unlike some other Republican officeholders — has been a proponent of wearing a mask. However, at President Donald Trump’s Republican nomination acceptance speech at the White House on Aug. 27, Tillis was spotted in photos not wearing a mask. He later said he “fell short of my own standard.”

On Wednesday at the U.S. Capitol, Tillis wore a mask while going to and from the Senate floor, including during interviews with reporters. He did not wear one while meeting with Barrett.

The reaction

Gov. Roy Cooper, a Democrat, wrote on Twitter that he was “praying for a quick recovery for Senator Thom Tillis.”

Cooper announced this week that North Carolina would move to Phase 3 of its coronavirus reopening plan on Friday evening, which loosened restrictions on bars and other entertainment venues.

More than 214,000 North Carolinians have tested positive for the virus and more than 3,600 have died.

“This is a highly contagious virus, but we can work together to fight it by wearing a mask, washing our hands and waiting 6 feet apart,” Cooper said.

U.S. Rep. David Price, a Chapel Hill Democrat, said on Twitter that he was glad Tillis “is feeling well after he tested positive for COVID-19. I am wishing him a speedy recovery.”

N.C. GOP chairman Michael Whatley said that “obviously our first concern is for the president and his family and for Thom. We want to wish them a speedy recovery.”

White House event

Trump announced Friday morning that he had tested positive and went to stay at Walter Reed Hospital on Friday evening. First lady Melania Trump also tested positive.

“President Trump has the best doctors in the world and I’m sure he’ll receive excellent care at Walter Reed. We have a strong country and a strong president, and I have confidence that both will endure,” Rep. Ted Budd, a North Carolina Republican, said in a statement to The News & Observer on Friday night.

Tillis was with Trump at the White House when Trump announced the nomination of Barrett for the Supreme Court. Tillis wore a mask during the ceremony, when he sat in the second row.

U.S. Sen. Mike Lee, a Republican from Utah, and University of Notre Dame President John Jenkins — both of whom were at the event — announced Friday that they had tested positive for the virus. Lee, like Tillis, is a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, which is scheduled to consider Barrett’s nomination beginning Oct. 12.

Two other Republican senators at the event — Kelly Loeffler of Georgia and Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee — tested negative Friday, a Loeffler campaign spokesman told McClatchy. Blackburn was campaigning for Loeffler in Georgia on Friday.

A third Republican senator, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, announced Saturday that he had tested positive. Johnson was not at the White House event for Barrett.

“There’s going to be a reckoning when it comes to public health and the realization that COVID is a serious concern. Whether that’s going to change Republican minds or not, we’ll have to wait and see how that plays out,” Bitzer said.

Rep. Alma Adams, a Charlotte Democrat, said she got tested for coronavirus Friday. Her test came back negative, she said on Twitter.

McClatchy DC White House correspondent Francesca Chambers and Charlotte Observer editor Taylor Batten contributed to this report; along with News & Observer reporters Danielle Battaglia, Lucille Sherman and Lynn Bonner.

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