Thom Tillis found the courage to do the right thing for North Carolina | Opinion

U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis appears to have realized that the cost of saving his political career is just too high in Donald Trump’s Republican Party. Tillis announced Sunday he will not pursue reelection — a shocking twist to a race that was and is expected to be one of the most competitive in the country in 2026.

The announcement came just one day after Tillis took his most decisive stand against Donald Trump yet. Tillis shared Saturday that he would not vote for the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, a massive budget bill that would advance many of Trump’s domestic priorities. The bill, Tillis said, would do too much harm to Medicaid and rural hospitals across the state. Trump then criticized Tillis on social media and even threatened a primary challenge, saying he would spend the coming weeks “looking for someone who will properly represent the Great People of North Carolina.”

Tillis likely wouldn’t have survived a Republican primary in which Trump endorsed his opponent. He is smart and politically savvy enough to know that. Since Trump took office in January, Tillis has been torn between loyalty to the president, a political enemy he could not afford to have, and loyalty to his constituents, who would be harmed by much of Trump’s agenda.

It was an impossible political situation, and it often led to choices we didn’t agree with. But we’re glad for the choice he’s made now with Trump’s “big, beautiful bill.” In refusing to vote for legislation that he knows would put his constituents in harm’s way, Tillis made the right choice. North Carolina is fortunate, with this bill, to have at least one senator who will choose what’s best for his state.

It’s disappointing, though, to see yet another Republican pushed out of office by a party that seems increasingly intolerant of those who don’t follow it blindly. Tillis is far from the first Republican to stand up to Trump and pay the price, and he won’t be the last, either.

“In Washington over the last few years, it’s become increasingly evident that leaders who are willing to embrace bipartisanship, compromise, and demonstrate independent thinking are becoming an endangered species,” Tillis said in a statement announcing his decision.

Tillis now has the opportunity to freely be that kind of leader as he navigates the remaining 18 months of his time in Washington without the political pressures that come with reelection. Tillis acknowledged that in his statement, saying he looks forward to “having the pure freedom to call the balls and strikes as I see fit.”

We hope he does so. We also hope that when he talks about being an independent leader, it will lead to the kind of principled path that can benefit North Carolinians. There are few Republicans in the Senate, and in Congress, who have the courage to challenge Trump the way Tillis did over the weekend. Tillis has the opportunity to finally be a consistently moderating influence, to speak for Republicans and moderates who don’t agree with Trump’s policies and approach. That’s the kind of leader that our state — and our country — needs.

If Tillis had continued to pursue reelection, he would have almost certainly had to compromise his principles further in order to win. His victory would have required betraying the people he was elected to represent. But now Tillis has the chance to ensure he is remembered differently: as someone who ultimately did the right thing and fought for his constituents, even when it wasn’t easy. That may not have been the outcome he wanted, but it’s one that he can be proud of.

This story was originally published June 30, 2025 at 10:09 AM with the headline "Thom Tillis found the courage to do the right thing for North Carolina | Opinion."