Chuck Hughes, Salisbury, N.C.
♦ Editor,
I want to share this note from Mark Harris concerning Thom Tillis:
A note from Mark Harris
A report in yesterday’s paper clearly proves we are stronger than ever! And getting stronger by the day.
If you didn’t hear, Karl Rove’s organization is now having to buy Mr. Tillis just over $1,000,000 of TV time for the month of April and leading right in to election day! Not even two weeks ago on Fox News Television, Mr. Rove indicated that Mr. Tillis was the one who would take on Kay Hagan.
But something has changed and the Tillis campaign seems to be in panic mode since last week.
About three to four weeks ago you started telling me and my staff what was unfolding in your communities. You said that very simply, the issue of ‘character’ was heading front and center in this Senate race. It was initially due to Mr. Brannon’s legal troubles but it began spilling over into the Tillis campaign too. And your message was that character does count. Last week we energized your thoughts and suggestions by placing them into our public campaign messaging- and it is obviously working!
To put it kindly, Tillis was highly displeased with your work. He actually began calling some of my supporters claiming he, too, had some character. Thom made so many phone calls to my supporters you might wonder how he had time to do any campaigning. He then sent me an email which I responded to this morning and have attached my response below. To summarize, Mr.Tillis suggested that publicizing his record was “negative campaigning.”
Does Mr. Tillis really believe he deserves no legitimate resistance in a GOP Primary? Apparently he does but unlike Mr. Tillis, I do believe his record and my record are fair game and should be discussed. Our records must be discussed, compared, and investigated- if not, then once elected we have no idea what will happen next. A perfect example of this just broke in today’s news “Charlotte Mayor Arrested on Public Corruption Charges.” Obviously Charlotte voters made a mistake in their mayor’s election, so let’s not do the same in a race when the US Senate majority is on the line.
So while last week was the absolute best campaign week ever for our campaign, it was not so good for Tillis’ campaign. An ethics complaint was filed against Tillis. Multiple news stories reported Tillis embellished his resume. And Mr. Tillis, true to form, blamed his staff for the mishap. Just one problem for Mr. Tillis: That pesky radio interview not so long ago where Tillis himself claimed he graduated from that same college he never attended.
But hey, it makes no difference to me what excuses are offered, we don’t have time nor can we afford excuses. What matters is that all Republicans get the blowback from yet another sparkling example of purposeful misrepresentation or an inexplicable lapse in judgment by Mr. Tillis. And still even more perplexing and disappointing is his ongoing refusal to accept personal for his troubles.
And today, because of you, we’ve broadened our base among your communities, professions, families and friends. You have helped me grow and mature as your candidate. Our campaign is winning because it is working. Your efforts have stunned a Super PAC into spending over $1,000,000 to try and sell Mr. Tillis to a reluctant base of voters. That’s one million dollars I suspect they never thought they’d have to spend so this late in this race.
The Tillis campaign is in full panic mode right now due in large part to what you are doing to promote my campaign because you and I both know that no one would dump $1,000,000 into a campaign that was winning. No one.
Your incredible efforts to take The Mark Harris Campaign all the way to November and then right up the U. S. Capitol Steps has never been closer to fulfillment. Now is the most critical time for us. It’s so important that we waste not one iota of effort and money. I know I’m asking a lot here, but please, double down on your efforts:
* Recruit even more supporters.
* Attend events on our behalf.
* Yard signs are popping up. More signs are being shipped and must be placed. Everywhere!
* We need many more phone, door-knock and online volunteers. (sign ups on website or email us)
Let’s keep building this campaign to ultimately change the direction of our Great Nation.
Lastly, I am so very grateful to each of you. We literally are right at destiny’s doorstep. Let’s not walk, but run through it, with all of our might. And all of us together!!
Thank you and God Bless!
Mark
HERE IS MY REPLY TO TILLIS’ EMAIL
Thom,
I received your email late last week, and I found it quite interesting. For instance, in your past campaigns you have never refrained from discussing your opponent’s record, and this is only what I am doing-discussing, when asked, your record as has been published by the news media. Earlier this month, when we were in Iredell County at the county convention, I specifically heard you say that while the other candidates are “fine people,”all they can do is tell you what they would do if they were elected, but I want you to know what I have done.” Now that the conversation is being held, you call it negative campaigning. Since my announcement in October entering the US Senate race, I have been asked by reporters as well as citizens about the differences between us. Discussing the facts of one’s record is not “going negative.” A person’s record is a very sound way to make a judgment of any candidate, and get an idea of how that person is likely to conduct business in the future.
I find it ludicrous the assertion that Robin Hayes or Mike Rusher, or anyone else in my campaign would be attempting to “tear you down.” If anything is found to be doing this it is your own record-nothing made up by the media-nothing made up by me. And if you cannot defend it, or choose not to defend it, that is your prerogative, not anyone else’s responsibility. Not one thing has been said or released that has not been reported or documented. No one has made up anything about you, unless you are saying that these reporters and editors are in a conspiracy to defeat you, and they have made all this up. But if they are untrue, why have you never disputed them? What has been discussed and will continue to be discussed is fully documented and it is simply your record. In all honesty, Thom, you have managed to accumulate a list of actions that at the very least show terribly poor judgment, and at the worst, a lack of political character applied to the decisions you made. I believe this is why people are so fed up with politicians and distrust them so. I truly believe our experiences from the Clintons to Obama to Kay Hagan have taught us that character still counts….especially in my home state of NC.
If you had been across the state with me over the last several months, attending the seven US Senate forums I have chosen to attend along with most other candidates, you would know that many, many times someone asks me to tell the difference between us. It is a fair question for any voter to ask. Up until the last couple of weeks, I have not definitively answered it, as I have been focused on building my own base, and have that now in place. And, I am now answering that question bluntly. My goal from day one is to win this primary, just as your goal is to do the same. Your record as an elected office holder is part and parcel of who you are just as my 25 years as a Senior Pastor is part and parcel of who I am. So, when asked that question now, I have begun telling voters that one major difference is that I will never make appointments or confirm appointments based on how much money a person has given me. I will always represent NC and never put my personal well-being above that of our state. I will accept responsibility for my actions, and one will never hear me blame lapses in judgment on my staff. But please understand, I am only going to reference your record that has been disclosed and can be confirmed. I have had a number of people, including legislators, tell me about things you have been involved in or done, but I never have nor ever will even say those out loud, as they are not documented. I have no interest in attempting to do research on you or document additional lapses of character or serious lapses of judgment in public office on your behalf. You and I both know that the Democrats will have a field day with you in a general. One of the reasons I filed for this seat is my genuine concern about who is the best person to defeat Kay Hagan, and to represent North Carolina in the US Senate. If you think your record is a secret and is not to be shared with the public, then you and I have even more differences than you think we have.
This election indeed matters more than many people can most likely fathom. I am sure, based on the calls I received last week, the mutual friends you referenced, are still mutual friends. I look forward to seeing you on the campaign trail.
Sincerely,
Mark
