LOD: Tillis Shakes Down Lobbyists

Despite campaign promises to stamp out “pay to play” politics in Raleigh, House Speaker Thom Tillis is in the middle of what can only be called a shakedown of lobbyists for campaign cash. His political director sent an email to many lobbyists with a clear message: get your PAC to send us a check by our September deadline or let me know how much you’ll pay soon – and we expect the check to be a big one! Laura Leslie of WRAL-TV received a copy of the email and put the story on the news, with comments from Democracy North Carolina and others. Democratic heavyweights once used similar tactics to shake down lobbyists, and one notable Republican candidate still campaigns like they’re the ones in charge of a pay-to-play culture. Unfortunately, the new GOP leaders running the General Assembly are acting too much like the old political bosses.