Publisher's Note: This post appears here courtesy of the Carolina Journal. The author of this post is Donna King.
Following this weekend's public condemnation from President Donald Trump, Sen. Thom Tillis, R-North Carolina, released a statement Sunday saying he will not run for re-election in 2026.
"It has been a blessing to go on a journey from living in a trailer park and making minimum wage as a young man to having the honor of serving as U.S. Senator for North Carolina," Tillis said.
"I am proud of my career in public service, including hard-fought victories like passing historic tax reform as North Carolina Speaker; and working in the Senate to help pass the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act and confirm three conservative Supreme Court justices and counting."
The announcement follows Tillis' decision to join Democrats and Sen. Rand Paul, R-Kentucky, in rejecting the
"Big Beautiful Bill" on Saturday, citing his concerns about Medicaid funding and other issues in the bill. It drew criticism from Trump, who accused Tillis of being
"missing in action" and stated on Truth Social that he would work to find a primary challenger to run against Tillis in 2026.
Tillis, while voting with the Trump agenda an estimated 90% of the time, has split with the White House over key issues like immigration reform and executive authority to impose tariffs. Tillis' reputation as a pragmatist, willing to work across the aisle, is among the points he is most proud of, according to his statement.
"What I'm most proud of are the bipartisan victories: passing the first-in-the-nation eugenics compensation as Speaker, and working across the aisle in the Senate to pass the largest investment in mental health in American history, passing the Respect for Marriage Act and monumental infrastructure investments, and reestablishing the Senate NATO Observer Group. Sometimes those bipartisan initiatives got me into trouble with my own party, but I wouldn't have changed a single one."
In 2023, NCGOP Convention delegates voted to censure Tillis over these initiatives. His statement on Sunday continued, highlighting the divisive narrative he sees on Capitol Hill:
"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.
"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."
Tillis' announcement creates an open seat in the US Senate, and a list of contenders for the Republican primary is already circulating.
Statewide candidate filing for the primary election begins at noon on Monday, Dec. 1, and ends at noon on Friday, Dec. 19. The primary itself is scheduled for March 3, 2026. On Sunday afternoon chairman of the NCGOP, Jason Simmons, posted a note of confidence that Republicans will hold the seat in 2026.
In the meantime, Tillis has a remaining 18 months in office representing North Carolina in the US Senate.
"I look forward to having the pure freedom to call the balls and strikes as I see fit and representing the great people of North Carolina to the best of my ability," he said Sunday, concluding his public statement.
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