NC Sen. Thom Tillis won’t seek reelection. Which Republicans might run in 2026?

Following North Carolina Republican Sen. Thom Tillis’ surprise announcement Sunday that he won’t seek reelection, the questions immediately began swirling: Which Republicans might run for the seat instead? And which Democrats might join their party’s primary?

Tillis’ decision throws a curve in the 2026 race, a critical midterm election that could offer a temperature check on how voters feel about President Donald 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.

The GOP primary race has been underway for months, with challengers including Andy Nilsson and Don Brown. But now, with Tillis out of the race, that field is all but certain to expand.

Here are some potential candidates to watch.

Republicans

▪ Lara Trump, the president’s daughter-in-law and a Fox News host, is “strongly considering jumping in the race,” NBC News reported. Lara Trump is a native of Wilmington and formerly co-chaired the Republican National Committee.

An unnamed source close to the Trump family told NBC News Sunday that if Lara Trump were to declare for Tillis’ seat, “The race will be over before it begins.”

▪ Some pundits believe Michael Whatley, current chair of the RNC and former chair of the North Carolina Republican Party, could be a possible candidate. President Trump endorsed Whatley for his role as RNC chair.

Whatley is originally from Watauga County in Western North Carolina and worked in the administration of President George W. Bush. He also was chief of staff for Sen. Elizabeth Dole of North Carolina.

▪ Pat Harrigan, who currently represents North Carolina’s 10th Congressional District, is “eyeing a run” for the seat, Spectrum News reported.

Harrigan, of Hickory, is a former Green Beret in the U.S. Army who now owns a gun manufacturing business. He has said he decided to run for Congress after watching the country’s withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Trump endorsed Harrigan in last year’s election.

▪ Greg Murphy, who has represented North Carolina’s 3rd Congressional District since 2019, is “seriously considering running” for Tillis’ seat, Spectrum News reported.

Murphy, a Raleigh native who now lives in Greenville, is a urologist. He previously served in the state House of Representatives.

Trump endorsed Murphy in his 2019 congressional race.

▪ Tim Moore, a Kings Mountain Republican serving his first term in the U.S. House, is also considering a run, Spectrum News reported.

Moore served 10 years as Speaker of the House in the state General Assembly before heading to Washington this year, where he has advocated for Trump’s agenda. Trump endorsed Moore in his run for the 14th Congressional District.

Other possible candidates might include:

▪ Mark Robinson, North Carolina’s former lieutenant governor who ran for governor last year but lost after reporting from CNN revealing that he made several antisemitic, racist and sexually explicit comments on a pornography account years ago.

Robinson has not been shy about his feelings toward Tillis. On Sunday, he agreed with an X post that said Tillis’ decision to step down “is the final nail in the coffin of the North Carolina Republican Party of years passed.”

Robinson is known for making derogatory and inflammatory comments about a wide range of groups and people, from teachers to the LGBTQ+ community and school shooting survivors, The News & Observer reported.

▪ Brad Knott, who represents North Carolina’s 13th Congressional District.

Knott, a former federal prosecutor from Raleigh, was elected to Congress last year after being endorsed by Trump. Knott said watching the Biden administration make changes to immigration and seeing how that affected his own work led to his run for Congress, The N&O reported.

▪ Dan Bishop, the deputy director of the U.S. Office of Management and Budget under Trump who has a long history of moving through the political ranks.

The Charlotte native served about five years in the U.S. House after stints in the state House and Senate, and four years on the Mecklenburg County Commission. He unsuccessfully ran to be the state’s attorney general last year.

Bishop is perhaps best known for writing House Bill 2, North Carolina’s highly controversial “bathroom bill,” in 2016, which required that people in schools and other government buildings use bathrooms corresponding to their sex assigned at birth. The measure generated swift backlash at the state level and nationally.

▪ Michele Morrow, a Cary resident and registered nurse, who ran unsuccessfully last year to be the state superintendent of public instruction. She has since founded the lobbying group National Alliance for Education Reform and has stayed vocal on education.

Democrats

On the other side, one Democrat has already declared a run for Tillis’ seat.

▪ Wiley Nickel, who served one term in the U.S. House before state lawmakers redrew his district to favor a Republican, decided in 2023 he would not seek reelection to the House and would instead seek election to Tillis’ seat. He officially announced his campaign for his party’s nomination in April.

Nickel, of Cary, is an attorney who previously worked for Vice President Al Gore and President Barack Obama.

There are several others who might jump in the race. But top party leaders appear to be eyeing one over anyone else: former Gov. Roy Cooper.

Cooper served two terms as governor, the maximum number of consecutive terms allowed in state law, from 2017 to 2025. He previously served 16 years as state attorney general and multiple terms in the General Assembly.

Cooper has not announced plans for a run. But some party leaders believe — or hope, at least — that he will. For instance, Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee Chair Kristen Gillibrand, a senator from New York, has called Cooper a “formidable candidate,” Axios reported.

This story was originally published June 29, 2025 at 6:14 PM with the headline "NC Sen. Thom Tillis won’t seek reelection. Which Republicans might run in 2026?."

Korie Dean

The News & Observer

919-335-8507

Korie Dean covers higher education in the Triangle and across North Carolina for The News & Observer, where she is also part of the state government and politics team. She is a graduate of the Hussman School of Journalism and Media at UNC-Chapel Hill and a lifelong North Carolinian. 

Sophia Bailly

The News & Observer

Sophia Bailly is an intern on The News & Observer’s politics team. She is a senior at the University of Florida studying journalism and Russian and has a passion for politics, history and international affairs.