RALEIGH — Republican Thom Tillis, North Carolina’s senior U.S. senator, announced Sunday that he will not seek a third term in Washington, D.C.
Tillis pointed to the climate in Washington as his reason not to seek reelection.
“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 said in a statement.
Tillis’ decision came a day after President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social that he would meet with Republicans interested in challenging Tillis in the Republican primary in 2026 after Tillis refused to back Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill.”
Tillis was speaker of the North Carolina House of Representatives for nearly four years when he announced he would challenge Sen. Kay Hagan in the 2014 election. He defeated Hagan by 1.5% and later became at odds with Trump and the Republican establishment for decrying hive-minded partisanship and calling for more cooperation with Democrats on issues.
But those beliefs cost Tillis support in his party, as he frequently butted heads with Trump while also trying to straddle the line of staying in the president’s good graces. That came to a head Sunday, and Trump’s latest criticism was followed by Tillis’ decision not to seek another term.
“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,” Tillis said in his statement.
Here is the full statement sent by Tillis on Sunday afternoon.
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.
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.
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.
