Topline
Sen. Thom Tillis, the North Carolina Republican who broke with his party to vote against advancing the spending bill promoted by President Donald Trump, announced he would not run for reelection in 2026.
Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., said he will not run for reelection in 2026.
Key Facts
Tillis opposed the bill for the extensive cuts to Medicaid, telling voters in a statement released Saturday “we can and must accomplish this without hurting our rural communities and hospitals, and without jeopardizing access to care for hundreds of thousands of North Carolinians who need it the most.”
Tillis was one of two Republicans to break with the party to vote against advancing the bill, alongside Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul.
Trump lashed out at Tillis after his opposition, calling his vote against the bill a “BIG MISTAKE” and announcing he would meet with candidates to oppose Tillis in a future election.
Tillis served two terms in the Senate after first being elected in 2014, and previously served in the North Carolina state house.
Crucial Quote
In a statement released Sunday, Tillis said he wanted to spend more time with his family and was not looking forward to running for a third 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. It’s not a hard choice, and I will not be seeking re-election.”
Who Will Run For Tillis’ Senate Seat?
North Carolina has emerged as an important swing state in recent years, with Tillis’ seat widely viewed as up for grabs in the 2026 election. Trump won North Carolina in the presidential race by over three points, though Democratic candidate Josh Stein defeated the Republican nominee, former Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, by 14 points in the gubernatorial race. Tillis only narrowly won reelection in 2020, beating his Democratic opponent by fewer than 96,000 votes. Rep. Wiley Nickel, who represents a Republican-leaning House district outside of Raleigh-Durham, already announced a primary challenge against Tillis in April. However, a poll published in December indicated Republicans in the Tar Heel state would favor Lara Trump, the president’s daughter-in-law and former chair of the Republican National Committee, if she were to run. Democrats are hoping to recruit former Gov. Roy Cooper, who left office in 2025.
Key Background
Trump’s “One Great Big Beautiful Bill” moved forward in the Senate after a vote late Saturday night, clearing a major hurdle and sending the legislation to the floor for debate and amendments. The bill contains significant parts of Trump’s agenda, including the extension of his first term tax cuts and additional funding for border security. The president asked Congress to deliver the bill to his desk by July 4—a deadline Congress could still meet this week. Tillis’ decision not to seek reelection comes as Trump has taken a commanding role in shaping Republican policy and as dissent on major matters has become a significant political liability for GOP lawmakers. Trump has repeatedly taken aim at Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., another opponent of the “Big Beautiful Bill,” and outspoken advocate for government spending cuts, vowing to lead a primary charge against him.
Tangent
Rep. Don Bacon, a moderate Republican representing a swing district in Nebraska, is also planning to retire and not seek reelection in 2026, Punchbowl News first reported Friday. Bacon represents a district in Omaha that Kamala Harris won by over four points in the 2024 presidential election. Since the election, he has frequently opposed controversial parts of the president’s agenda, including the Medicaid cuts in the “Big Beautiful Bill” as well as Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariffs. Any seats flipping from one party to the other could have major ramifications given the makeup of the House, where Republicans hold a razor-thin eight seat advantage over Democrats, with three seats currently vacant that had been held by Democrats.
