Senator Tillis continues to have problems with base Republicans, as new polling and reporting from Morning Consult shows Tillis underperforming Trump by double digits among Republicans, indicating “a missing piece of the coalition he’ll need to win re-election in November: unity in his party’s base.” According to the new data:

• Tillis is down 8 points and stuck at 39% (Cunningham 47% to 39%).

• GOP voters are 15 points less likely to vote for Tillis than Trump (Tillis 78% to Trump 93%).

• Tillis underperforms Trump across key demographics — women, independents, and suburban voters.

Senator Tillis’ Washington allies have noticed how weak he is with base Republicans, launching ads that “feature video of Trump praising Tillis and encouraging people to vote for him” — money that 70 days from an election could be used to target independent voters.

Worse for Tillis, his own chief consultant admits that voters’ #1 issue remains a major vulnerability for Tillis. “If Democrats are able to maintain and appear to be right of center — they’re going to be compassionate about health care and good managers of your money — they’re most likely to prevail,” Tillis’ consultant said.

Tillis’ base struggles are “not a surprise.” Tillis was a “no-show” when President Trump visited Charlotte yesterday after being snubbed by the RNC and has no speaking role for the televised portions of the RNC happening in his backyard. He’s also been unable to win back base voters all cycle, who booed him at multiple Trump rallies and blasted him as “wishy-washy” and a “snake.”

“Senator Tillis continues to struggle with base conservative voters, yet is making no in-roads with independents in North Carolina, a weakness that spells doom for an incumbent 70 days out from an election,” NCDP spokesperson Robert Howard said. “Tillis is struggling with all types of voters because he’s a weak, Washington politician who looks out for his special interest backers, not North Carolinians. It’s no wonder no one trusts him.”