Senator Thom Tillis announces he is not running for reelection

CHARLOTTE — North Carolina U.S. Senator Thom Tillis has announced that he will not be running for re-election.

The Republican representative said that over the last year, he has joked about not looking forward to running for another term. And now he wants to spend more time with his wife, children, and grandchildren.

“It’s not a hard choice, and I will not be seeking re-election,” he said in a statement.

Tillis said he has been grateful for his time as a representative for North Carolina. And for the path that got him there.

“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,” he said in a statement.

He is proud of his accomplishments, he said, emphasizing work in bipartisan victories, including passing eugenics compensation, investing in mental health, and passing the Respect for Marriage Act.

“Sometimes those bipartisan initiatives got me into trouble with my own party, but I wouldn’t have changed a single one,” he 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.”

But Tillis said he has noticed a shift in politics where independent thinking is criticized when it opposes a person’s party. He said he has seen this on both sides of the aisle.

“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,” he said. “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.”

This announcement comes just a day after he spoke out against the Big Beautiful Bill in its current form. On Saturday, Tillis said he had concerns about the way the bill would affect Medicaid, specifically how cuts would impact rural communities and hospitals in North Carolina.

President Donald Trump took to social media that same evening to criticize Tillis’s lack of support.

“Tillis is also willing to throw the very important Tobacco Industry in North Carolina, “out the window,” for reasons nobody seems to understand. He loves China-made windmills that will cost a fortune, ruin the landscape, and produce the most expensive Energy on Earth," President Trump said on Truth Social.

Before Tillis announced his retirement, the President stated on social media that ‘numerous’ people wanted to take Tillis’s spot. He continued, saying that he would meet with these people to find a person to represent the state.

Tillis said he looks forward to continuing to represent the state of North Carolina for the next 18 months, unhindered by campaigning distractions.

“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.

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