Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) announced Sunday that he will not seek re-election in 2026, just over 12 hours after President Trump revealed plans to meet with potential primary challengers in the coming days.
Tillis, considered one of the most vulnerable incumbents in the upcoming midterm cycle, drew sharp criticism from Trump on Saturday after voting against the White House-backed “Big Beautiful Bill.” He joined Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) as the only two Republicans to oppose the president’s high-priority legislation.
“Thom Tillis has hurt the great people of North Carolina. Even on the catastrophic flooding, nothing was done to help until I took office. Then a MIRACLE took place!” Trump wrote in a follow-up post on Sunday morning. “Tillis is a talker and complainer, NOT A DOER! He’s even worse than Rand ‘Fauci’ Paul!”
Just hours after a scathing post—Trump’s third targeting the vulnerable incumbent since his vote against the Big Beautiful Bill—Senator Tillis announced he will not seek re-election.
“As many of my colleagues have noticed over the last year, and at times even joked about, I haven’t exactly been excited about running for another term,” Tillis said. “That is true since the choice is between spending another six years navigating the political theatre and partisan gridlock in Washington or spending that time with the love of my life Susan, our two children, three beautiful grandchildren, and the rest of our extended family back home. It’s not a hard choice, and I will not be seeking re-election.”
Tillis’ retirement has been largely welcomed by Trump supporters, as the senator often broke with the party line on issues unpopular among the Republican base. In 2022, he was one of 15 Republican senators to support President Biden’s comprehensive gun control legislation, and he also backed a bill to codify same-sex marriage into federal law.
Tillis also supported President Biden’s sweeping infrastructure package and voted to confirm several of the president’s nominees, including Attorney General Merrick Garland. However, he more recently opposed the confirmation of then-interim D.C. U.S. Attorney Ed Martin, citing concerns over Martin’s advocacy for January 6 political prisoners.
Former North Carolina Lt. Gov. Andy Nilsson had already filed to challenge Tillis, positioning himself as a strong ally of President Trump and describing himself as “unapologetically MAGA,” despite previously voicing concerns about the party’s direction in past years.
Lara Trump, the president’s daughter-in-law and former RNC co-chair, has also been frequently mentioned as a potential candidate. A poll conducted by Victory Insights late last year showed her comfortably leading Tillis in a hypothetical matchup, though she has not publicly confirmed any plans to run.