Following Trump attacks, Republican senator Thom Tillis bows out of 2026 re-election race
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Republican US Senator Thom Tillis says he will not seek re-election after the US President threatened to back his challenger.
PHOTO: HAIYUN JIANG/NYTIMES
WASHINGTON – Republican US Senator Thom Tillis said on June 29 he will not seek re-election in 2026, a day after President Donald Trump said he would consider supporting challengers to Mr Tillis in response to his vote against the White House’s signature tax-cut Bill.
Mr Tillis was one of two Republican senators on June 28 to vote against opening debate
His North Carolina seat is seen as one of the few competitive Senate races in the 2026 midterm election, when control of both chambers of Congress will be at stake.
Mr Trump on June 29 welcomed Mr Tillis’ move.
“Great News! ‘Senator’ Thom Tillis will not be seeking re-election,” he said in a Truth Social post.
While the Republican-controlled US House of Representatives is considered up for grabs, Democrats face an uphill battle in trying to reclaim a Senate majority.
Republicans hold a 53-47 edge, and all but two Republicans up for election – Mr Tillis and Ms Susan Collins in Maine – are in states that Mr Trump carried easily in the 2024 presidential election.
Former US Representative Wiley Nickel is the most prominent Democrat who has announced a run against Mr Tillis, but party leaders have been hoping that former governor Roy Cooper, who remains popular in the state, will jump into the race.
In a statement, Mr Tillis made no mention of Mr Trump but bemoaned the political gridlock that has gripped Congress.
“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 said.
Following Mr Tillis’ “no” vote on the tax-cut Bill on June 28, Mr Trump attacked him on social media, saying the senator was making a “big mistake” and vowing to meet potential Republican challengers in the coming weeks.
Mr Tillis had voiced several objections to the Bill, including concerns over how the proposed legislation’s cuts to the Medicaid healthcare programme for lower-income Americans could impact his constituents. REUTERS
