Amid Trump clash, NC Republican Sen. Thom Tillis will not seek reelection in 2026
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- Sen. Thom Tillis announced he will not seek reelection to the U.S. Senate in 2026.
- Tillis cited family time and political gridlock as key reasons for his retirement.
- His departure sets up a competitive and high-stakes Senate race in North Carolina.
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US Sen. Thom Tillis & NC Senate race
U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis, a Republican who has represented North Carolina in Washington for a decade , announced June 29, 2025, he won’t seek reelection amid dissent with President Donald Trump. The Huntersville resident, a former speaker of the state House of Representatives, was first elected to the Senate in 2014. Here is coverage of the announcement and what it means for the 2026 Senate race.
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U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis, a Republican who has represented North Carolina in Washington for a decade and has clashed with President Donald Trump as recently as Saturday, announced Sunday he will not seek reelection.
The 64-year-old Huntersville resident, a former speaker of the state House of Representatives, was first elected to the Senate in 2014.
In a Sunday statement, Tillis said he had not “been excited about running for another term.”
“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,” Tillis said. “It’s not a hard choice, and I will not be seeking re-election.”
He added: “I still look forward to continuing to serve North Carolina over the next 18 months.”
Tillis’ announcement came a day after he said he would not vote in favor of the federal “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” the sweeping budget package that would enact much of Trump’s agenda. He cited the bill’s expected impacts on Medicaid and rural hospitals as key reasons for his decision.
Trump then attacked Tillis online, saying on Truth Social, the social media platform Trump owns, that the senator was “making a BIG MISTAKE for America, and the Wonderful People of North Carolina!”
Trump also said he would explore supporting another candidate in the GOP primary for Tillis’ seat, someone in Trump’s view “who will properly represent the Great People of North Carolina.”
Tillis’ decision throws a curve in the 2026 race, a critical midterm election that could offer a temperature check on how voters feel about Trump’s return to office.
Republicans hold a majority in the Senate after last year’s elections, with 53 seats. Democrats will be seeking to gain ground in the chamber in 2026, and North Carolina’s Senate race is expected to be an intense and expensive battle in that effort.
‘One of the most vulnerable Senate Republicans’
Ken Martin, chair of the Democratic National Committee, told The News & Observer this week that Tillis is “one of the most vulnerable Senate Republicans.”
“Thom Tillis is one of our top Senate targets, and we’re going to put a lot of time, energy and money into making sure we can beat him,” Martin said.
North Carolina Democrat Wiley Nickel, who formerly served in the U.S. House and is running for the Democratic nomination for Tillis’ seat in 2026, said Sunday he would be prepared to run against any Republican in the race.
“No matter which MAGA loyalist Donald Trump hand-picks to run in North Carolina, I’m the Democrat who’s ready to take them on and win,” Nickel said.
Top Democrats have said they would like to see former Gov. Roy Cooper run for the seat. He has not announced any plans to do so.
University of Virginia political science professor Larry Sabato said on social media Sunday that the North Carolina Senate race was already a toss-up even before the Tillis announcement: “Even more so now. Dems should send Trump a fruit basket of thanks.”
The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee said in a statement that Tillis’ decision was “another blow to Republicans’ chances as they face a midterm backlash that puts their majority at risk.”
The committee vowed to flip the seat for Democrats in 2026, while the group’s Republican counterpart argued the opposite.
“President Trump has won North Carolina three times, and the state’s been represented by two Republican Senators for over a decade,” National Republican Senatorial Committee chair Tim Scott, a Senator from South Carolina, said in a statement. “That streak will continue in 2026 when North Carolinians elect a conservative leader committed to advancing an agenda of opportunity, prosperity and security.”
Tillis rose from NC House to US Senate
Born in Florida, Tillis also lived for several years in Tennessee before moving to North Carolina in 1998. He worked for PricewaterhouseCoopers before the company sold its consulting practice to IBM, which has a strong presence in North Carolina.
Tillis was first elected to local office in Cornelius, near Charlotte, in 2002. He won election to the state House in 2006 and served in the chamber until he was elected to the U.S. Senate. When Republicans gained control of the General Assembly in 2010, members elected Tillis as speaker of the House — a position he held for the remainder of his time in the legislature.
Tillis came to the General Assembly with a reputation as a moderate and a pragmatist, The Charlotte Observer reported in 2014. But his leadership in the legislature saw the body enact conservative measures like restrictions on abortion — famously enacted by gutting a bill on motorcycle safety — and an overhaul of taxes.
Still, Tillis deflected comments referring to him and his Republican colleagues as extremists, The Observer reported.
“Labels are irrelevant,” he said a decade ago. “It’s the results. ... Take a look at my track record. People who truly represent an extreme on either side have a very difficult time getting bipartisan support for what they’re doing.”
In 2014, Tillis defeated Democratic incumbent Kay Hagan to win election to his Senate seat.
In the Senate, Tillis has maintained his reputation as somewhat of a moderate, particularly as Trump rose to power and moved much of the Republican Party further to the political right.
He has been known at times to break with Trump and his party colleagues, including on issues like gay marriage, gun safety and immigration. The North Carolina Republican Party in 2023 censured Tillis for his views and actions on those issues.
On Sunday, Tillis indicated he might continue to break with his party during the remainder of his term.
“I look forward to solely focusing on producing meaningful results without the distraction of raising money or campaigning for another election,” Tillis said. “I look forward to having the pure freedom to call the balls and strikes as I see fit and representing the great people of North Carolina to the best of my ability.”
This story was originally published June 29, 2025 at 1:43 PM with the headline "Amid Trump clash, NC Republican Sen. Thom Tillis will not seek reelection in 2026."
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