North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis said on Friday he “fell short of my own standard” by failing to keep his face mask on in the White House crowd while listening to President Donald Trump accept the Republican nomination.

Tillis, who is in a tough reelection bid against Democrat Cal Cunningham, has been consistently talking up face coverings as a chief method to slow the spread of COVID-19. At dozens of virtual town hall meetings, he’s urged participants to wear them when near others.

Tillis’ campaign tweeted a picture of the first-term senator wearing a mask on the South Lawn of the White House on Thursday night before Trump’s speech. But other media outlets later showed images of the crowd during the speech. There sat Tillis within the tightly packed, largely unmasked crowd, also not wearing a mask.

“I’ve stressed the importance of mask wearing throughout this pandemic and have tried to lead by example on this issue, but last night I fell short of my own standard,” Tillis said in a statement released through his campaign.

Democrats jumped on the unforced error, accusing Tillis of being a hypocrite.

“When it comes time to choose between his political career and his principles, Tillis chose what’s best for himself,” state Democratic Party spokesperson Robert Howard said in a news release. “Sen. Tillis criticizing others while not following his own words is a perfect encapsulation of why North Carolinians don’t trust Tillis, and why he’ll be out of office this fall.”

Tillis, whose seat is one of a handful Democrats hope to pick up to take back the Senate in 2021, embraced mask wearing months ago when other Republicans, particularly Trump, dismissed the idea.

“I started wearing a mask the day the [White House] COVID task force said start wearing masks. I’ve worn one ever since,” Tillis told restaurant leaders at a small in-person campaign event Tuesday in Raleigh.

Tillis, the former state House speaker, also has admonished those people who don’t wear them, especially when they enter businesses.

“It’s also important to maintain distance,” he said at a conference call with constituents Thursday afternoon discussing state coronavirus guidelines. That means, he added, to “certainly not even linger for long periods of time around anyone, particularly people not wearing a mask.”

Tillis tried to spin his mistake into an attack on Cunningham, who has been shown to be leading in several polls and outraised Tillis during the two previous quarters.

He accused Cunningham of making excuses for things like raising taxes while a state senator in 2001 and said, unlike the Democrat, “I can accept responsibility for my actions.”

Photo via AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite.

Related Stories
‹
Supreme Court Vacancy Looms Large in 2nd NC Senate Debate
Questions about the potential successor to Ruth Bader Ginsburg hung heavy over Tuesday night’s second debate in a U.S. Senate race in North Carolina whose outcome could decide the chamber’s control. While Republican incumbent Thom Tillis embraced a swift process toward President Donald Trump’s preferred conservative on the Supreme Court, Democratic challenger Cal Cunningham urged […]
Justice Department Won't Charge Sen. Burr Over Stock Sales
Sen. Richard Burr said Tuesday that the Justice Department has told him it will not prosecute him over stock sales made during the coronavirus pandemic, ending an insider trading investigation that led him to at least temporarily step aside from a powerful committee chairmanship last year. Prosecutors had investigated for months whether the North Carolina […]
Tillis: I Made a Mistake Taking off Mask Inside White House
North Carolina Republican Sen. Thom Tillis says he made a mistake by taking off his face mask indoors last month at a White House event. Many attendees — including Tillis and President Donald Trump — later tested positive for COVID-19. The senator, who has been a strong supporter of wearing masks in public, was wearing […]
Democrat's Personal Scandal Roils North Carolina Senate Race
A race in North Carolina critical to control of the U.S. Senate has been thrown into turmoil over allegations of personal misconduct by Democrat Cal Cunningham, a married man who had an extramarital relationship this summer with a consultant. Previously undisclosed text messages obtained by The Associated Press and additional interviews show that the relationship […]
Spokesman Says Tillis Is Improving After COVID Diagnosis
A spokesman for U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina says that the senator is improving after experiencing mild symptoms following a positive COVID-19 test. Tillis spokesman Adam Webb issued a statement Sunday night saying that the senator is continuing to self-isolate at home but that he’s feeling better after experiencing mild symptoms the previous […]
Cal Cunningham Admits Sending Sexually Suggestive Texts
The Democratic challenger in North Carolina’s closely contested U.S. Senate contest has admitted to exchanging sexually suggestive text messages with a woman who’s not his wife, but he said he will not drop out of the race. Cal Cunningham apologized late Friday for the text message exchanges in which he tells the woman he wants […]
Supreme Court Nominee to Get Attention in NC Senate Debate
The U.S. Supreme Court vacancy created by the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg will likely get attention in Tuesday’s debate between Republican Sen. Thom Tillis and Democrat Cal Cunningham. Cunningham and Tillis will hold their second televised debate at a Raleigh television studio four days after Ginsburg died at age 87. Tillis has aligned […]
Monthly NC School Board Votes on Face Masks Stay in Place
Written by GARY D. ROBERTSON Republicans at the North Carolina legislature have turned back efforts to repeal a new law that requires local school districts to vote regularly on face masks, a measure that critics say has contributed to some raucous board meetings. The House on Wednesday rejected an amendment to an education bill that […]
Duke Expert Shares Thoughts on Effectiveness of Double-Masking Strategy
To mask or double-mask? That is the question some Americans are asking as more infectious variants of COVID-19 are reported in the United States. While a face covering over one’s mouth and nose is a proven spread-prevention method, new strains of the coronavirus appear to be even more contagious and developing ways around vaccines being […]
Cooper Revamps NC Mask Mandate, Maintains Occupancy Limits
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper issued an executive order Monday with tough language on enforcing the statewide mask mandate, but little action on limiting business activity that has contributed to rising coronavirus cases and hospitalizations in recent months. The newly reelected Democrat said he does not want the state to go “backward” by shutting down […]
›