NC conservative: GOP embarrassed itself with censure of Thom Tillis | Opinion

Major reforms enacted by the Republican-led N.C. General Assembly over the past decade offer the national GOP a compelling example to hold up, one demonstrating the benefits of conservative governance. Republicans have racked up legislative victories in the state that have become national models for GOP policy reform.

Rather than tout this record, some GOP activists chose instead to make fools of themselves at the N.C. Republican Party convention June 10 in Greensboro when they voted to censure Sen. Thom Tillis.

The vote to censure Tillis is indicative of a growing problem for Republicans, which is that many party activists, pundits and even some officeholders have become fueled by grievance to the point that they seem to celebrate election losers. The struggle between those wedded to that sentiment and others in the party who offer a positive, substantive, and forward-looking vision — like the messages from Republican presidential candidates Sen. Tim Scott and Gov. Ron DeSantis — will determine whether the GOP is competitive in battleground states in 2024.

Rather than rebuking Tillis, NCGOP activists should be commending him, not only for his ability to win reelection, but his leadership in enacting major GOP policy priorities and increasing North Carolina’s influence on federal matters.

North Carolina’s clout in Congress has reached news heights this year with the addition of a 14th seat in the U.S. House following the post-2020 reapportionment process. The Tar Heel state’s federal influence grew even stronger in recent months after Sen. Mitch McConnell named Tillis to his leadership team in January and appointed him to the Senate Finance Committee in February. Tillis joins the Senate’s tax writing committee at a critical time, when many key provisions of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, like full business expensing, have begun phasing out or are set to expire.

A proven and effective leader in Raleigh and Washington, Tillis assumes these new posts well prepared. His legislative accomplishments, particularly at the state level, include major victories on top conservative priorities, such as tax relief, cost-reducing regulatory reform, expansion of school choice, and spending restraint. During his tenure as N.C. House Speaker Tillis enacted landmark reforms that simplified the state tax code while making it much less burdensome.

Thanks to efforts started under the leadership of Tillis and N.C. Senate President Phil Berger, the state’s income tax rate is now the lowest in the region aside from Florida and Tennessee, which have no state income tax. North Carolina’s personal income tax rate is scheduled to fall to 3.99% after 2026 and the corporate tax will be repealed at the end of 2030.

Tax reform that Tillis and Berger passed nine years ago continues to pay dividends, allowing N.C. families and employers to keep billions of dollars in income that would’ve otherwise gone to state government.

Governors and lawmakers in other states continue to follow the trail blazed by Tillis and Berger. Legislators in more than 20 states have cut individual income tax cuts over the past two years alone, with five enacting flat rates like North Carolina did under Tillis’ leadership. When including the no-income-tax states, there are now 22 states with a flat tax of zero or above.

Tillis’ ascension to leadership and a key committee post in Congress is inherently good news for North Carolina. But it’s also a positive development for conservatives nationwide who’d like more members in leadership and on key committees who have a record of meaningful reform. Tillis has such a record, one that has verifiably limited the size and scope of government in North Carolina. Such leadership is needed in Washington now more than ever.

Ungrateful, grievance-fueled GOP activists who cherish victimhood status as much as woke progressives and seem to enjoy losing elections are thrilled with the vote to censure Tillis. But there is no need for him to be perturbed by this rebuke from fellow Republicans. That vote was certainly embarrassing, not for Tillis but for the Republicans who voted for it.

Patrick Gleason, an N.C. resident, is vice president of state affairs at Americans for Tax Reform, a Washington-based taxpayer group.