Republican Senator Thom Tillis (North Carolina), who has been attacked by President Donald Trump for opposing his key bills, has decided not to run for reelection.
According to the Associated Press and other sources, Tillis released a statement on the 29th, saying he would not seek a third term in the midterm elections scheduled for next November.
Tillis said, “Over the past few years, it has become increasingly clear that leaders who embrace bipartisanship, compromise, and independent thinking are becoming an endangered species in Washington.”
Tillis said he was proud of his track record of public service, but that the political environment has become difficult for those who act independently of the party line.
“I look forward to having the full freedom to make the decisions I think are right” he said.
Tillis was one of two Republicans who voted against President Trump’s key tax reform bill, a necessary hurdle before the Senate floor debated it the previous day.
The tax reform bill includes a major cut in Medicaid spending to fulfill President Trump’s tax cut pledge. Tillis opposed the bill because it would be a huge blow to North Carolinians if it were to pass as is.
North Carolina, which Tillis represents, is one of the most competitive swing states for Democrats and is also a place where Republicans cannot be sure of a victory in next year’s midterm elections .Republicans hold 53 of the 100 seats in the Senate, so they won the vote the day before by a vote of 51 to 49 despite objections from Rep. Tillis and others. However, President Trump fiercely criticized Rep. Tillis for not voting as he had requested.
President Trump said on social media the previous day, “A lot of people have come forward saying they want to run against Senator Thom Tillis in the primary. I will be meeting with them in the coming weeks to find someone who can properly represent the great people of North Carolina.”
This is essentially threatening to support another candidate in the Republican primary to be held ahead of the midterm elections next year and to defeat Senator Tillis.
President Trump also criticized Thom Tillis on social media that day, saying, “Thom Tillis is a man who talks and complains, but does not act.”
With incumbent Senator Tillis declaring that he will not run, the Republican Party will have to nominate a new candidate for the midterm elections next year.
According to NBC News, a source close to the Trump family said that President Trump’s daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, is “strongly considering” running. NBC News also reported that incumbent U.S. House of Representatives members Richard Hudson and Patrick Harrigan, who represent North Carolina, are also likely to run.