Republican primaries were held in three states on Tuesday as the 2014 primary season kicks into high gear. In one of the first closely watched races, the speaker of the North Carolina House, Thom Tillis, won the Republican Senate nomination. Tillis will face Democratic Senator Kay Hagan in November in a race that could decide which party controls the Senate. The North Carolina primary drew national attention pitting Tillis, backed by much of the Republican establishment, against candidates with close ties to the tea party and religious right. As speaker of the North Carolina House, Tillis was a frequent target of the Moral Monday protests over the past two years.