After Vote Against Trump Bill, Tillis Says He'll Leave Senate

Hours after casting a preliminary vote against President Trump's bill of tax and spending cuts, sparking a series of blistering attacks from his party's leader on Truth Social, Sen. Thom Tillis announced he will not seek reelection next year. The North Carolina Republican issued a statement Sunday saying he already lacked enthusiasm for running for a third term, describing the decision as being between "spending another six years navigating the political theatre and partisan gridlock in Washington or spending that time" with his family, the Hill reports. "It's not a hard choice," he said.

The campaign figured to be a tough one for Tillis, per Politico. In a Saturday night post, Trump said he'd look for someone over the next few weeks to run against Tillis in the primary while slamming his opposition to the bill. On Sunday, Trump called the senator a "talker and complainer, not a doer." Tillis had said he would oppose the Senate version of the bill because of its "devastating" cuts to Medicaid, per the Hill. He voted against opening debate on the legislation on Saturday night.

Potential GOP candidates for the seat include Republican National Committee Chair Michael Whatley and Vice Chair Lara Trump. The state's congressional delegation has several freshmen who could run, per Axios, such as Reps. Pat Harrigan, Tim Moore, and Brad Knott. Democratic Rep. Wiley Nickel has declared, and national party leaders want former North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper to join the race, per Politico. "When people see independent thinking on the other side, they cheer," Tillis said Sunday, per NBC News. "But when those very same people see independent thinking coming from their side, they scorn, ostracize, and even censure them."