The Republican senator made the statement after indicating he wouldn’t support the GOP spending bill, drawing President Trump’s ire.
Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) announced Sunday that he won’t run for reelection in the 2026 midterms. President Donald Trump had warned he may move to primary Tillis after the senator indicated he won’t support the GOP spending package.
In a lengthy statement, the senator said, “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.”
Tillis went on to say: “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, who has been a critic of the Trump-backed spending and budget bill, voted against advancing the package on Saturday night.
After the vote, Trump criticized Tillis in a social media post and signaled he would campaign against the senator during the 2026 midterms.
“Thom Tillis has hurt the great people of North Carolina,” Trump wrote on Truth Social Sunday morning. “Even on the catastrophic flooding, nothing was done to help until I took office. Then a MIRACLE took place! Tillis is a talker and complainer, NOT A DOER!”
The president also wrote Sunday that “numerous people have come forward wanting to run in the primary against” Tillis and that he would be meeting with those people.
Democrats have also targeted Tillis’s seat, which he has held for the past 11 years.
On Saturday night, Senate Republicans narrowly cleared a key procedural step as they attempt to advance the package of tax breaks, spending cuts, and bolstered deportation funds by the July 4 deadline. In the end, Tillis and Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) joined all Democrats to oppose the motion to proceed.
