Thom Tillis raised $1.6 million last quarter. What will he do with the money?
U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis, arguably the most outspoken Republican to criticize President Donald Trump, has amassed millions of dollars in the past three months, new campaign finance reports show.
Tillis, who criticized Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” and drew public ire from the president, announced on June 29 that he would not be seeking reelection, one day after Trump lambasted him on social media. Tillis has not yet indicated what his future political plans could be, but his campaign now has about $5.6 million in on-hand funds after an additional $1.6 was filed between the end of March and June, latest available data shows.
Originally expected to run for a third term, Tillis has amassed $7.4 million over the past five years in contributions from individual donors, political action committees and organizations. His campaign committee has donations dating back decades — with the earliest received in 2000, according to FEC files.
There are five FEC-approved ways Tillis’ campaign can use the leftover funds, The N&O previously reported. Additionally, Tillis could transform his campaign committee into a Super PAC to use the money instead, or he could keep the money stashed away for a future campaign for office.
The senator and former North Carolina House speaker has a history of successful fundraising efforts. Tillis raised about $9.5 million and $24 million in campaign contributions during his previous two U.S. Senate races, respectively. By the end of each cycle, he had less than $1 million left over to funnel into his next campaign.
The FEC’s next quarterly report deadline is Oct. 15, which will be the first report to include any filing dates succeeding Tillis’ reelection decision.
This story was originally published July 16, 2025 at 2:45 PM with the headline "Thom Tillis raised $1.6 million last quarter. What will he do with the money?."
