North Carolina's nondescript, virtually unnoticed, hugely important Senate race

RALEIGH, N.C. — Thom Tillis thought his last day as speaker of the North Carolina House would be weeks ago, after which he would devote all his energies to running for the U.S. Senate. Instead, on Saturday morning, Tillis stood gavel in hand in the state House chamber, presiding over the passage of a budget that kept lawmakers at work well into the summer. Now, finally, he is finished — unless something else comes up to demand his time at the State Legislative Building.

Republicans have bemoaned the fact that their candidate was tied down in the state house, but in a conversation after the session adjourned, Tillis insisted it wasn’t a problem. “It just means I’ve had two full-time jobs for an extra month,” he said.