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Republican Sen. Thom Tillis announced he won't seek reelection amid backlash over his opposition of President Donald Trump's 'One Big Beautiful Bill Act' on Sunday (June 29).
The vote resulted in a 51-49 margin with Thom Tillis of North Carolina and Rand Paul of Kentucky voting along with the Democrats in opposition.
“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 obtained by the New York Post. “It’s not a hard choice, and I will not be seeking re-election.”
The procedural vote was delayed for hours as party leaders worked to resolve internal disputes with Sens. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Rick Scott of Florida, Mike Lee of Utah and Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming having all withheld their votes before other Republican leaders eventually swayed them over, leading to a vote on final passage in the next few days. Tillis' seat was widely considered to be among the most vulnerable among the 22 Republican incumbents of the 35 seats up for grabs in 2026.
The decision was followed by speculation that the president's daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, former Republican National Committee co-chair, may run for Tillis' seat, having previously faced speculation that she'd run for a Senate seat.
The 940-page 'big beautiful' spending bill includes tax cuts, a funding boost for immigration enforcement and Medicaid cuts, as well as other provisions and is being raced by Republican politicians aiming to meet a self-imposed July 4 deadline.