Republican Sen. Thom Tillis will not seek reelection next year after Trump attacks

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Republican Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina announced on Sunday announced he would not seek reelection next year.

Tillis was one of the most high-profile Republicans to say he could not support President Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill,” Republicans’ massive tax and spending bill, in its current form. Trump on social media had attacked him as “a talker and complainer, NOT A DOER!” and threatened to support primary challengers to him next year.

He was one of only two Senate Republicans, along with Rand Paul, Ky., who late on Saturday voted against a motion to start debate on the policy package. For days, Tillis has criticized the Medicaid provisions in the bill and said he has data showing it would require his state to pick up more than $30 billion in costs in order to make up for lost federal funding.

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Tillis, who has been in the Senate for a decade, in a statement slammed the lack of bipartisanship in Washington and accused other politicians of not taking the time to understand how legislation would affect regular Americans.

“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,” he wrote.

He also suggested some in his own party care more about political points than the impact of policies they vote on, saying, “Too many elected officials are motivated by pure raw politics who really don’t give a damn about the people they promised to represent on the campaign trail.”

For months, Tillis has insisted he could win another tough election in his home state, but said Sunday he had enough of the divisive politics at the Capitol.

“As many of my colleagues have noticed over the last year, and at times even joked about, I haven’t exactly 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. It’s not a hard choice, and I will not be seeking re-election.”

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The election for Tillis’ seat in North Carolina is likely to turn into a heated race next year. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee on Sunday put out a statement predicting Democrats would flip the seat next year.

“Thom Tillis’ decision not to run for reelection is another blow to Republicans’ chances as they face a midterm backlash that puts their majority at risk. Even Tillis admits the GOP plan to slash Medicaid and spike costs for families is toxic,” the campaign committee said.

Former Rep. Wiley Nickel, N.C., is the only Democrat running for Tillis’ Senate seat. After news of Tillis’ retirement, he jumped in with a statement to present himself as an independent thinker who “won’t be fooled by extremists pushing an agenda that puts billionaires first and working families last.” But national Democrats are hoping former Governor Roy Cooper, who is popular and has more statewide name recognition, will decide to run for the now open seat.

Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., who heads the national GOP Senate campaign committee noted that Trump has won the state three times and GOP has held Senate seats for over a decade. “That streak will continue in 2026 when North Carolinians elect a conservative leader committed to advancing an agenda of opportunity, prosperity, and security.”

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On Saturday, Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) broke with Trump and said that he would not support the “Big Beautiful Bill.”

Trump spent Saturday and Sunday morning railing against Tillis and threatening to primary him, so the North Carolina Senator has announced that he will not be seeking reelection.

CBS News reported:

It’s not a hard choice, and I will not be seeking re-election,” Tillis said in a statement Sunday. He noted that he hasn’t “been excited about running for another term,” citing the choice between “spending another six years navigating the political theatre and partisan gridlock in Washington” or spending time with his family.

…

Tillis outlined in in his statement that in Washington in recent years, “it’s become increasingly evident that leaders who are willing to embrace bipartisanship, compromise, and demonstrate independent thinking are becoming an endangered species.”

“It underscores the greatest form of hypocrisy in American politics,” Tillis continued. “When people see independent thinking on the other side, they cheer. But when those very same people see independent thinking coming from their side, they scorn, ostracize, and even censure them.”

A Huge Opportunity For Democrats

North Carolina Democratic Party Chair Anderson Clayton responded to the Tillis announcement:

Thom Tillis spent years putting DC Republicans and corporate donors ahead of the people of North Carolina, and voters noticed. Today, Thom Tillis finally faced reality: this made him wildly unpopular. No matter who the NCGOP chooses as a rubber stamp to green light their extreme cuts to funding for public schools, slashes to Social Security and Medicare, and attacks against reproductive freedom, we’ll be ready to fight back.

Let’s be clear: today’s decision shows just how much influence the most fringe right-wing voices have in their primary. Our state is not a pawn in Donald Trump’s political games. We deserve leaders who will fight for affordable health care, strong public schools, and an economy that works for everyone. Over the next 18 months, we’re excited to lay out the choices voters have in this election and ensure North Carolinians see the Republican nominee for the far-right crony they will be.

We look forward to next November when North Carolinians will finally elect a senator that will actually fight for North Carolina.

The odds are high that North Carolina Republicans won’t nominate a moderate, but will be looking for an extreme Trump loyalist to please the president. This likelihood means that Democrats will have a huge opportunity to flip the Senate seat from red to blue next year.

Tillis’s decision not to run again is not the biggest surprise. There have been a lot of whispers and debate about whether or not he wanted to do another campaign. His opposition to the BBB was the final tipping point in the process.

The Republican Party is steaming toward what is likely to be a nightmare midterm election for them.

The economy is close to plunging off the cliff. Trump is the most unpopular president in the history of polling. The party is fighting among itself.

This is a prime opportunity for Democrats to start putting the Senate majority in play for 2026.

Tillis’s departure is another break that could help set up Democrats for 2026.

What do you think about Tillis not running again? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

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WASHINGTON ― Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) announced Sunday he won’t be seeking reelection, setting up a contentious race to replace him in the battleground state of North Carolina.

“As many of my colleagues have noticed over the last year, and at times even joked about, I haven’t exactly been excited about running for another term,” Tillis said in a statement on Sunday. “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.”

Tillis’ announcement came just hours after President Donald Trump attacked him for opposing his massive tax and spending bill on the Senate floor on Saturday. Trump accused the senator of grandstanding and threatened to back a primary challenger against him.

“Numerous people have come forward wanting to run in the Primary against ‘Senator Thom’ Tillis. I will be meeting with them over the coming weeks, looking for someone who will properly represent the Great People of North Carolina,” Trump wrote in a post on TruthSocial.

Tillis, a centrist Republican who was elected to the Senate in 2014, explained Saturday that he couldn’t support Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” because of how it would threaten Medicaid coverage for hundreds of thousands of vulnerable people in North Carolina. The legislation includes historic cuts to the safety net program totaling $800 billion.

Earlier this week, the senator warned his colleagues that the Medicaid cuts in the bill could spell disaster for Republicans and cost the party control of the House and Senate.

“Too many elected officials are motivated by pure raw politics who really don’t give a damn about the people they promised to represent on the campaign trail,” Tillis said in his statement on Sunday. “After they get elected, they don’t bother to do the hard work to research the policies they seek to implement and understand the consequences those policies could have on that young adult living in a trailer park, struggling to make ends meet.”

Tillis’ announcement comes as good news for Democrats, who were already hoping to recruit former North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper to run for the seat. The popular former governor is said to be considering it. Former Rep. Wiley Nickel (D-N.C.) also announced his campaign for the Senate seat earlier this year.

Republicans have many possible candidates to replace Tillis in the Senate, including Rep. Richard Hudson (R-N.C.), former Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.), Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley, and Lara Trump, the president’s daughter-in-law and former co-chair of the Republican National Committee.

Sen. Tim Scott, who chairs the National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman, vowed that Republicans would continue to hold Tillis’ seat.

“President Trump has won North Carolina three times, and the state’s been represented by two Republican Senators for over a decade,” Scott said. “That streak will continue in 2026 when North Carolinians elect a conservative leader committed to advancing an agenda of opportunity, prosperity, and security.”

Their odds of holding on to Tillis’ seat would fall, however, if North Carolina Republican primary voters decide to go with a more extreme candidate. The state party may have learned that lesson with disgraced former North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, who had a long history of vile comments online and whose porn scandal scuttled his campaign for governor.

The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, meanwhile, called Tillis’ decision to retire “another blow to Republicans’ chances as they face a midterm backlash that puts their majority at risk.”

“Even Tillis admits the GOP plan to slash Medicaid and spike costs for families is toxic – and in 2026, Democrats will flip North Carolina’s Senate seat,” Senate Democrats’ campaign committee added.

NC Sen. Tillis says he will not be seeking reelection in 2026 after voting against Trump’s megabill

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) — North Carolina Senator Thom Tillis announced Sunday afternoon that he will not be seeking reelection in 2026.

This comes after receiving backlash from President Donald Trump for voting against the “One Big Beautiful” bill, which passed 51-49 overnight Saturday.

Tillis released a Sunday statement, saying in part: “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.”

“Democrats recently lost two such leaders who were dedicated to making the Senate more of a functional and productive legislative body. They got things done. But they were shunned after they courageously refused to cave to their party bosses to nuke the filibuster for the sake of political expediency. They ultimately retired and their presence in the Senate chamber has been sorely missed every day since.”

SEE ALSO: Republican Sen. Tillis says he opposes Trump’s controversial pick for top prosecutor in DC

“It underscores the greatest form of hypocrisy in American politics. When people see independent thinking on the other side, they cheer. But when those very same people see independent thinking coming from their side, they scorn, ostracize, and even censure them.”

“Too many elected officials are motivated by pure raw politics who really don’t give a damn about the people they promised to represent on the campaign trail. After they get elected, they don’t bother to do the hard work to research the policies they seek to implement and understand the consequences those policies could have on that young adult living in a trailer park, struggling to make ends meet.”

“As many of my colleagues have noticed over the last year, and at times even joked about, I haven’t exactly 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.It’s not a hard choice, and I will not be seeking re-election.”

Trump lashes out at Tillis

In late-night social media posts, Trump praised Senators Rick Scott, Ron Johnson, Mike Lee, and Cynthia Lummis for their support of the bill. He also targeted holdouts, including Tillis, who had been up for reelection. Trump threatened to campaign against Tillis, announcing plans to meet with potential primary challengers.

“Numerous people have come forward wanting to run in the Primary against “Senator Thom” Tillis. I will be meeting with them over the coming weeks, looking for someone who will properly represent the Great People of North Carolina and, so importantly, the United States of America. Thank you for your attention to this matter!,” Trump wrote.

Tillis said he could not support Trump’s megabill because of Medicaid cuts that he worried would leave many without health care in NC.

A new analysis from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said the Senate version of the bill would increase by 11.8 million the number of people without health insurance in 2034.

WATCH | N &O Report: NC residents at risk of losing Medicaid coverage

In another post on his social media platform, Trump accused Tillis of grandstanding and said that he was “making a BIG MISTAKE for America, and the Wonderful People of North Carolina!”

ABC News and Associated Press contributed to this report.

Featured video is from a previous report.

▶ Watch Video: Senate works to kickstart Trump’s legislative agenda that could impact millions

Washington — Republican Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina announced Sunday that he won’t seek reelection in 2026, hours after President Trump threatened to back a primary challenge against him when he refused to support his massive spending and tax bill which he dubbed the “big, beautiful bill.”

“It’s not a hard choice, and I will not be seeking re-election,” Tillis said in a statement Sunday. He noted that he hasn’t “been excited about running for another term,” citing the choice between “spending another six years navigating the political theatre and partisan gridlock in Washington” or spending time with his family.

The North Carolina Republican was first elected to the Senate in 2014, and speculation has swirled for weeks around whether he would seek another term. The announcement came hours after Mr. Trump posted on Truth Social criticizing Tillis for his opposition to some of the provisions within the massive tax legislation making its way through the Senate, while the president said he would be meeting with possible primary opponents to run against Tillis, “looking for someone who will properly represent the Great People of North Carolina.”

Tillis had said earlier Sunday that he could not support the legislation, which is the centerpiece of the president’s second-term agenda, due to Medicaid cuts “that would be devastating to North Carolina.”

The senator outlined his thoughts about Washington in recent years in his statement Sunday: “It’s become increasingly evident that leaders who are willing to embrace bipartisanship, compromise, and demonstrate independent thinking are becoming an endangered species.”

In an apparent nod to former Democrat-turned-independent Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona and Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, Tillis said “Democrats recently lost two such leaders who were dedicated to making the Senate more of a functional and productive legislative body.” He added that “their presence in the Senate chamber has been sorely missed every day since” they opted not to seek reelection.

“It underscores the greatest form of hypocrisy in American politics,” Tillis continued. “When people see independent thinking on the other side, they cheer. But when those very same people see independent thinking coming from their side, they scorn, ostracize, and even censure them.”

The announcement will open up a key seat in North Carolina, which has historically voted for Republicans in every presidential race, with the exception of Barack Obama in 2008.

National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman Tim Scott said in a statement that Mr. Trump “has won North Carolina three times, and the state’s been represented by two Republican Senators for over a decade.”

“That streak will continue in 2026 when North Carolinians elect a conservative leader committed to advancing an agenda of opportunity, prosperity, and security,” Scott said.