Just days before the U.S. Senate impeachment trial starts, a new poll found that the majority of North Carolinians find Trump responsible for the Capitol insurrection and support barring him from running for political office in the future, begging the question: Will North Carolina Senators Richard Burr and Thom Tillis vote against the interest of the majority of North Carolinians? 

A poll from Elon University found that almost 60 percent of respondents found Trump to be responsible for the Capitol riot, 47 percent support the impeachment trial, and a majority of respondents support banning him from political office. 

In the days following January 6th, North Carolina’s Senators Thom Tillis and Richard Burr were outraged over the attack on the US Capitol, but just a few weeks later, both voted for a Republican motion calling the impeachment trial unconstitutional. Failing to hold Trump accountable, the News & Observer editorial board wrote: “the senators’ righteousness of Jan. 6 has dissipated like yesterday’s tear gas,” and called it “weak stuff from weak-kneed senators.” 

The Republican Party’s continued embrace of Trump, even after the deadly attacks at the Capitol, and spineless Senators like Thom Tillis and Richard Burr’s willingness to abandon truth for their own political gain, is not only a dangerous sign for our democracy — but a warning sign for the state of the GOP. 

“If Senators Richard Burr and Thom Tillis vote against impeaching Donald Trump, they will further cement into history their inability to buck party leadership to stand up for North Carolina’s interests,” said Kate Frauenfelder, a spokeswoman for NCDP. “If this poll reflects a rumbling in the state to condemn Trumpism, North Carolina Republicans may be in trouble.” 

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