Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina announced Sunday that he will not seek reelection next year after President Donald Trump threatened to support a primary challenger over the two-term Republican’s opposition to the chamber’s sweeping budget reconciliation bill.
Tillis, who ranked among the most vulnerable senators up for reelection next year, said his decision was not difficult.
“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,” he said in a statement. “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.”
As he bemoaned the decline in bipartisanship in Washington in recent years, Tillis suggested his own party bore some culpability.
“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,” he said.
Ahead of his announcement, Senate Republicans took a critical first step Saturday toward passing Trump’s signature domestic policy legislation, voting, 51-49, to bring the package to the floor. Tillis and fellow Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky joined members of the Democratic Caucus in voting against the motion to proceed. Tillis explained his opposition by citing what he described as the bill’s “significant changes to Medicaid that would be devastating to North Carolina.”
“The Senate should go back to the House’s commonsense approach to Medicaid reform to enact work requirements while protecting care for those who truly need it,” he said in a statement.
His opposition drew heavy criticism from Trump, who accused him of “making a BIG MISTAKE for America, and the Wonderful People of North Carolina” and floated the possibility of backing a primary challenger.
“Numerous people have come forward wanting to run in the Primary against “Senator Thom” Tillis,” the president said on his Truth Social platform. “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.”
Trump later celebrated Tillis’ decision to retire, calling it “Great News” in a social media post.
Senate Republicans head into the 2026 midterm elections holding 53 seats, with just two — North Carolina and Maine — currently rated as battlegrounds by Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales.
“This was a toss-up seat, and maybe Tillis was even a slight underdog,’’ said Jonathan Weiler, a political scientist at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. “This is probably as good a pickup opportunity in the Senate next year as [Democrats] are going to get.”
Democrats reacted to Tillis’ announcement by calling it “another blow to Republicans’ chances.”
“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,” Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee spokesperson Maeve Coyle said in a statement.
However, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, who leads the National Republican Senatorial Committee, pushed back on the idea that Tillis’ departure would hamper his party’s efforts to hold the seat.
“President Trump has won North Carolina three times, and the state’s been represented by two Republican Senators for over a decade,’’ Scott posted on social media. “That streak will continue in 2026 when North Carolinians elect a conservative leader committed to advancing an agenda of opportunity, prosperity, and security.”
Tillis has long been a reliable conservative, who, as the speaker of the North Carolina House speaker, helped steer the state rightward. He pushed for changes to the state tax code that implemented a flat income tax and lowered corporate tax rates; backed a state ban on gay marriage; supported anti-abortion laws; and endorsed requiring drug testing for welfare recipients.
Tillis was first elected to the Senate in 2014, narrowly unseating Democratic incumbent Kay Hagan. Six years later, he won a second term by holding off Democrat Cal Cunningham, who had been damaged by a late-breaking scandal.
While Tillis typically votes with his party, he sometimes joins into bipartisan efforts to find common ground on divisive issues, including on addressing immigration and gun violence. He also backed legislation in 2022 to codify federal recognition of same-sex marriage.
That same year, Tillis joined three other senators — Democrats Christopher S. Murphy of Connecticut and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona and Republican John Cornyn of Texas — to craft a framework for gun safety legislation that was signed into law by former President Joe Biden.
Before Sunday’s announcement, Tillis had signalled he was proceeding with his reelection campaign. His most recent fundraising reports showed him raising $2.3 million over the first three months of the year, and he had $4 million on hand at the end of March.
But the budget debate wasn’t the first time Trump and Tillis had tangled. In January, the senator drew the president’s wrath for criticizing Pete Hegseth, Trump’s pick to lead the Department of Defense. In that instance, though, Tillis ultimately voted to back Hegseth.
Even before Sunday’s announcement, Tillis had drawn a handful of primary challengers, including retired furniture manufacturing executive Andy Nilsson and author Don Brown, who accused the incumbent of being insufficiently supportive of Trump.
On the Democratic side, former Rep. Wiley Nickel is already running for Tillis’ seat, while former Gov. Roy Cooper is said to be weighing a bid.
“North Carolina’s a funny state,’’ Weiler said. “It’s gone for Trump three times in a row and … Hagan was the last Democratic senator. On the other hand, Democrats win statewide office all the time. … It starts as basically a 50-50 state.”
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