Sen. Thom Tillis announces he’s not seeking reelection, a day after voting against Trump’s agenda bill

By Michael Williams, CNN

(CNN) — Republican Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina announced Sunday he is not seeking reelection next year, a day after he was one of only two Republicans who voted against advancing President Donald Trump’s sweeping agenda bill.

Tillis had expressed concern about the impact cuts to Medicaid would have on his constituents, and Trump threatened on Saturday to back a primary challenger to his seat.

Tillis, 64, said in his statement that his decision was “not a hard choice” and expressed a desire to spend more time with his family.

“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.

Tillis’ Senate seat in North Carolina, a battleground state, will be crucial for Republicans to keep next year if they want to maintain their narrow majority in the chamber.

Tillis, North Carolina’s senior senator, first entered the Senate in 2015 after serving in the state legislature, including as speaker of the House. In his most recent victory, he narrowly maintained his Senate seat in the 2020 election by less than 2 percentage points.

Tillis built a reputation as being a GOP swing vote who was one of very few Republicans left in Congress willing to voice opposition to Trump’s policies, dating back to both of their first terms. This year the senator was a thorn in Trump’s side as the president tried to push through some of his most controversial nominees who required Senate approval.

Tillis — who sits on the powerful Senate Judiciary Committee, which is responsible for advancing the president’s judicial nominees — opposed the effort to confirm Ed Martin, Trump’s choice to serve as US attorney for Washington, DC, because of Martin’s previous denigrating of officers who responded to the January 6 Capitol riot.

Martin’s nomination was eventually withdrawn by Trump.

In his Sunday statement, Tillis decried the lack of bipartisan cooperation in today’s Washington: “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.”

The senator added: “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.”

Tillis had long been wavering on supporting Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill” and expressed concern over how many people in his state would lose Medicaid coverage. He was one of two Republican senators, the other being Rand Paul of Kentucky, who voted against advancing the measure.

Trump responded by saying Sunday the senator “has hurt the great people of North Carolina.”

“Tillis is a talker and complainer, NOT A DOER!” the president said on Truth Social.

The senator’s announcement was met with enthusiasm and optimism from Democrats, with the state party chair saying, “Thom Tillis spent years putting DC Republicans and corporate donors ahead of the people of North Carolina, and voters noticed.”

“We look forward to next November when North Carolinians will finally elect a senator that will actually fight for North Carolina,” Chair Anderson Clayton added.

Lauren French, a spokesperson for Senate Majority PAC, Democrats’ main super PAC targeting Senate races, echoed the sentiment, saying, “Democrats were poised to win in North Carolina whether Thom Tillis’ name was on the ballot in November 2026 or not.”

Meanwhile, the state’s Republican Party chair, Jason Simmons, said in a brief statement that “Senator Tillis has announced his decision to not seek re-election to the U.S. Senate. We look forward to holding this seat for Republicans in 2026 and continuing to deliver on President Trump’s America First priorities.”

This story has been updated with additional information.

CNN’s David Wright and Dianne Gallagher contributed to this report.

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