Sen.Thom Tillis, R-N.C., is hoping to hold his seat in a political battle that matters to both North Carolina and the entire nation as Republicans and Democrats grapple for control of the Senate. Here are four things to know about the senator: Tillis, 60, has the odds stacked against him — North Carolina voters are “brutal” to their incumbent senators, rejecting nearly all modern senators after just one term, Andy Jackson of the conservative Civitas Institute told Fox News.