NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
President Donald Trump calls Sen. Thom Tillis’ announcement that the two-term Republican senator won’t see re-election next year in battleground North Carolina “Great News.”
And with Tillis — who Trump torched this past weekend for not supporting his so-called “big, beautiful” spending and tax cut bill in a key test vote — now out of the picture in the midterms, it’s likely the president and his political team will be the kingmakers in the selection of the 2026 GOP nominee in North Carolina.
“It’s the president’s choice. The president and his team will have those conversations,” a Republican operative, pointing to Trump’s immense sway over the GOP, told Fox News.
TILLIS DENOUNCES TRUMP’S ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL ’ HOURS AFTER SURPRISE RETIREMENT ANNOUNCEMENT
Republican Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina announced on Sunday that he won’t seek re-election in 2026 to a third term in the U.S. Senate. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
“Does he have great choices? Absolutely,” said the strategist, who asked to remain anonymous to speak more freely.
Likely at the top of the list is Lara Trump, the president’s daughter-in-law who served last year, amid the 2024 presidential campaign, as co-chair of the Republican National Committee (RNC).
TRUMP REACTS TO TILLIS NOT SEEKING RE-ELECTION, SENDS WARNING TO ‘COST CUTTING REPUBLICANS’
Lara Trump, who grew up in Wilmington, North Carolina, and attended undergraduate studies at North Carolina State University, is married to the president’s son, Eric.
She stepped down from her post at the RNC late last year and currently hosts “My View with Lara Trump” on the Fox News Channel.
Lara Trump, seen at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on July 15, 2024, is seen as a potential Republican candidate in the race to succeed retiring GOP Sen. Thom Tillis. (Mike Segar/Reuters)
The Republican strategist highlighted that Lara Trump “has the name, but beyond that she is a fundraising powerhouse, and she has the discipline to be an incredible candidate and senator if she chooses to.”
“She’s probably the only person who should have ‘considering’ in the same sentence because she is the president’s daughter-in-law and that will be a consideration,” the operative added.
Four years ago, Lara Trump considered making a bid for an open Senate seat in North Carolina in the 2022 midterm elections.
“It would be an incredible thing. It’s my home state, a state I love so much, and look, I think we need some strong Republicans in Washington, D.C.,” she told Fox News at the time.
She ultimately decided against launching a campaign, citing her two young children as the main reason for her decision. But she did leave open the possibility of a future run for office in her home state.
Lara and Eric Trump own a home in Florida, and Lara Trump’s name was briefly mentioned late last year as a potential successor to Republican Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, who was nominated by Trump to serve as Secretary of State in his second administration.
“After an incredible amount of thought, contemplation, and encouragement from so many, I have decided to remove my name from consideration for the United States Senate, she said in a statement near the end of December.
Another name being floated in North Carolina is RNC Chair Michael Whatley.
Republican National Committee chair Michael Whatley is interviewed by Fox News Digital, at the RNC headquarters in Washington D.C., on Dec. 12, 2024. (Fox News – Paul Steinhauser)
Whatley served five years as chair of the North Carolina GOP before Trump early last year picked him to succeed Ronna McDaniel as RNC chair.
“Chairman Whatley is honored to have been asked by President Trump to serve as Chair of the Republican National Committee following a hugely successful 2025, and is focused on grown Republican majorities in Congress,” an RNC adviser told Fox News when asked about the North Carolina Senate race.
WHAT MIKE WHATLEY TOLD FOX NEWS DIGITAL
Another name that comes up is Rep. Richard Hudson, who for a second straight cycle is chair of the National Republican Congressional Committee.
Along with Whatley, Hudson, who for over a decade has represented a congressional district in the central section of North Carolina, is a strong Trump ally.
Rep. Richard Hudson of North Carolina, chair of the National Republican Congressional Committee, is interviewed by Fox News Digital, on April 7, 2025 in Washington D.C. (Paul Steinhauser/Fox News)
A source familiar told Fox News that Hudson “is tight with Trump world, and if they really wanted him to run, he wouldn’t tell them no.”
A trio of first-term Republican congressmen in North Carolina may also have interest in the race to succeed Tillis.
Sources confirmed to Fox News that Rep. Pat Harrigan is eyeing a bid. Reps. Tim Moore and Brad Knott may also have interest. And four-term GOP Rep. Murphy may consider a run.
SCOOP: HOUSE REPUBLICAN EYES BID FOR THOM TILLIS SENATE SEAT AFTER TRUMP ATTACK
Some national Republicans are relieved that Tillis isn’t seeking re-election. Tillis, who has long been an independent thinker who crossed the political aisle to seek compromise, doesn’t poll well with the MAGA base.
Some Republican operatives familiar with Senate races suggested that the GOP would have an easier time energizing base voters in a smaller midterm electorate with a more conservative candidate than Tillis on the 2026 ballot as the GOP’s nominee in North Carolina.
And Trump loyalists saw the Tillis announcement as further proof of the president’s immense hold over the GOP.
Tillis, in a statement, noted that “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.”
In the race for the Democratic Senate nomination, former Rep. Wiley Nickel, a trial lawyer and former state senator, launched a bid earlier this year.
Then-Gov. Roy Cooper, a Democrat from North Carolina, speaks with reporters on Sept. 10, 2024 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (Paul Steinhauser/Fox News)
But all eyes are on former two-term Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper, who is mulling a run. Cooper is viewed as the most formidable and prominent potential Democratic candidate for a seat his party is aiming to flip from red to blue.
But no Democrat has won a Senate race in North Carolina since 2008.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Hours after Tillis’ announcement on Sunday, a top non-partisan political handicapper shifted their rating on the North Carolina Senate race from Lean Republican to Toss Up.
“The surprise move from Tillis moves this race into the Toss Up category and officially makes the Tar Heel State Democrats’ top pickup opportunity,” the Cook Report’s Jessica Walter said.
