A sitting U.S. senator has been censured by his own party for supporting a pro-marriage equality bill.
Delegates of the North Carolina Republican Party voted overwhelmingly, by a 799-361 margin, to reprimand U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), for voting in favor of the Respect for Marriage Act.
The law, which was signed into effect by President Biden last year, ensures same-sex marriages that have been performed in states where the practice is not expressly prohibited will continue to be treated as valid by the federal government — even if the U.S. Supreme Court reverses its own precedent and overturns its 2015 ruling legalizing marriage equality nationwide.
At the time, Tillis described the bill as “a good compromise that provides permanent certainty for same-sex couples while ensuring robust protections for churches and religious organizations.”
The move to censure Tillis was also motivated by the senator’s vote in favor of a bill providing funding for states to pass “red flag” laws making it easier to remove weapons from people deemed a threat to themselves or others, restricting people convicted of domestic abuse from accessing guns, and expanding background checks on gun-buyers under 21.
The vote occurred behind closed doors on June 10, during the state GOP’s annual convention, which featured speeches by various Republican presidential candidates, including former President Donald Trump, former Vice President Pence, and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.
“We need people who are unwavering in their support for conservative ideals,” Jim Forster, an 81-year-old Republican delegate, told the Associated Press. “[Senator Tillis’] recent actions don’t reflect the party’s shift to the right — in fact, they’re moving in the exact wrong direction.
Tillis has broken ranks with the party several times, including challenging former President Trump’s immigration policy, as well as on the gun restriction bill and the Respect for Marriage Act. In 2015, he voted, along with a small number of GOP senators, in favor of an amendment to ensure same-sex married spouses can receive Social Security and veterans benefits.
The censure does not remove Tillis from office, nor strip him of his Senate Committee assignments, as only the U.S. Senate is allowed to expel its own members. However, those who voted for it hoped to send a firm message of dissatisfaction to the Senator.
Texas Republicans similarly censured U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales for voting for the same gun control and marriage equality measures. However, Gonzales’s censure prohibits him from receiving state party funds for his re-election campaign, and is viewed as an attempt to discourage him from running for office again.
Tillis’s censure is also not the first issued by the North Carolina Republican Party. In 2021, Republican delegates convened an emergency vote to censure then-U.S. Sen. Richard Burr for his decision to cast a “guilty” vote in the second impeachment trial of Trump in response to the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
While many rank-and-file activists cheered the censure on the grounds that Tillis strayed from key positions within the party’s platform, including opposition to same-sex marriage, the vote was also criticized by some party members.
State Senator Bobby Hanig (R-Powells Point), from the coastal eastern part of the state, criticized the decision for further fracturing the party ahead of the 2024 presidential election.
“A mob mentality doesn’t do us any good,” Hanig said. “Senator Tillis does a lot for North Carolina, he does a lot for the coastal communities, so why would I want to make him mad?”
State Senator Jim Burgin, of Harnett County, told the AP that the censure sets a dangerous precedent, sending a message that independence and diversity of thought are no longer welcome in the party.
“I don’t think we need to be attacking our own,” Burgin said. “You don’t shoot your own elephants.”
Tillis has yet to publicly comment on the censure. But a spokesperson for the senator, Daniel Keylin, defended the senator’s record, telling the AP that Tillis “keeps his promises and delivers results.”
“He will never apologize for his work passing the largest tax cut in history, introducing legislation to secure the border and end sanctuary cities, delivering desperately-needed funding to strengthen school safety and protecting the rights of churches to worship freely based on their belief in traditional marriage,” Keylin wrote.
Tillis is next up for re-election in 2026. The GOP he faces then — including any prospective primary challengers — will undoubtedly be shaped by the outcome of the 2024 presidential and congressional elections, and whether Republicans are rewarded or punished in general elections for their independence or fealty to party ideology.
