WashingtonA day after declaring his opposition to President Donald Trump’s tax breaks and spending cuts plan due to its cuts to health care programs, Republican Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina announced on Sunday that he will not run for reelection the next year.
His choice will free a seat in a state that has long been a contentious battlefield, providing Democrats with a political opportunity to increase their numbers in the 2026 midterm elections. Since few senators are prepared to risk Trump’s fury by criticizing his goals or conduct while in office, Tillis’ decision to forego a reelection campaign could make him a wild card in the party.
In the Senate, Republicans have a 53-47 advantage.
Though he acknowledged the challenging political climate for individuals who defy their party and go it alone, Tillis, who would have run for a third term, expressed pride in his career in public service.
In a long statement, he added, “It has become increasingly clear in Washington over the last few years that leaders who are willing to embrace bipartisanship, compromise, and demonstrate independent thinking are becoming an endangered species.”
I would not have modified any of those bipartisan measures, even though they occasionally caused me to run afoul of my own party.
Trump criticized Tillis in social media tweets for being one of two Republican senators who voted against the mammoth bill’s advancement on Saturday night.
The Republican president promised to run against Tillis, accusing him of using his no-vote to attract attention. Trump also charged Tillis with failing to assist his residents following the disastrous floods of the previous year.
Trump wrote, “Tiltis is a talker and complainer, NOT A DOER.”
Jason Simmons, the chairman of the North Carolina Republican Party, stated that the party will retain this seat for Republicans in 2026 and wishes Tillis well.
Democrats said they were optimistic about their chances.
When he declared his intention to run in April, former Representative Wiley Nickel stated that he was prepared to face any Republican opponent.
In a statement, Nickel stated, “We’re going to do it again. I’ve flipped a tough seat before.”
Some interpreted Tillis’ choice as evidence that the GOP, under Trump, had united against a member who disobeyed its leader.
According to Lauren French, spokesman for the Senate Majority PAC, a political organization affiliated with the Democratic members of the chamber, it “demonstrates that there is no room within the Republican Party to dissent over taking health care away from 11.8 million people.”
After resigning from his position as an IBM consultant to lead the GOP’s recruitment and fundraising efforts in the state House for the 2010 elections, Tillis became well-known in North Carolina. For the first time in 140 years, Republicans were able to secure majorities in both the House and Senate.
Later, Tillis was elected speaker of the state House, where he spent four years enacting conservative laws pertaining to abortion, taxes, gun rights, and regulations. Additionally, he supported a state constitutional referendum that banned gay marriage, which was eventually declared unlawful by the courts despite being approved by voters in 2012.
Tillis narrowly defeated Democratic Senator Kay Hagan in 2014, which contributed to the GOP gaining control of the U.S. Senate. He supported causes like Medicaid expansion, mental health and drug addiction treatment, and assistance for veterans during his more than ten years in office.
Tillis gained notoriety as a more moderate Republican who was prepared to compromise on certain topics. He occasionally ran afoul of his party because of that, most notably in 2023 when Republicans in North Carolina voted to censure him for a number of reasons, including his record on gun control and his opposition to specific immigration laws.
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This article was written by Makiya Seminera of the Associated Press in Raleigh, North Carolina, and Lisa Mascaro and Joey Cappelletti of the Washington bureau.
