Politics

Tillis won't seek re-election

By Lightning Reports, Published: June 29, 2025

Under intense pressure from President Trump and his MAGA allies to support the budget and policy bill pending in his chamber, U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis announced on Sunday that he will not seek re-election to a third term.

Tillis, a former state House speaker first elected to the Senate in 2014, was one of just two Republican senators to vote no on a procedural motion needed to advance the budget bill. That drew an immediate condemnation from Trump, calling his vote "a BIG MISTAKE" and announcing his intention to meet with potential primary opponents.

“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 issued Sunday afternoon. "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."

North Carolina Democratic Party Chair Anderson Clayton issued a statement vowing a strong effort to flip the seat to her party. 

"Thom Tillis spent years putting DC Republicans and corporate donors ahead of the people of North Carolina, and voters noticed," she said. "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."

 Here is the full statement issued by Tillis:

“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. 

“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. 

“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 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. 

“I am beyond grateful for the friends I've made over the years in North Carolina and our nation's capital, as well as my amazing staff who are among the very best the Senate has to offer. 

“I still look forward to continuing to serve North Carolina over the next 18 months. I look forward to solely focusing on producing meaningful results without the distraction of raising money or campaigning for another election. 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.”