Renee C. Scheidt: Another one bites the dust: Thom Tillis is out

Published 12:00 am Tuesday, July 1, 2025

To the delight of conservatives across N.C., Sen. Thom Tillis is throwing in the towel. Quitting — and not soon enough for many of us.

To say he was a disappointment for Republicans is an understatement. Tillis, formerly in the N.C. House, is completing his second term as senator from our state. He was one of only two Republicans to go against Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill. As such, Trump promised to have him primaried. The threat was too much for Tillis to take.

Somewhere along the way, Tillis lost his bearings. While in the N.C. House of Representatives (2007-2014), he was a conservative fireball. He fought against abortion, same-sex marriage and Medicaid expansion. He cut state taxes and favored gun rights. He became the speaker of the N.C. House and was named Legislator of the Year by the ALEC in 2011. Yet once in D.C., Tillis forgot where he came from. As we used to say, Tillis “got too big for his breeches.”

In 2014, he ran and was elected to the U.S. Senate, defeating Democrat Kay Hagan. In the 2020 race, he was opposed by Democrat Cal Cunningham, an N.C. State Senator and veteran from a small town who led in the final polls by three points. Once it was revealed, however, that Cunningham was an adulterer, with Tillis holding on tight to Trump’s coattails, he squeaked out a narrow victory.

During his second term in the U.S. Senate, Tillis wavered from the positions that got him elected, so much so that at the 2023 annual convention of the N.C. Republican delegates, he was censured for “blatant violations” of the Republican platform. Although he previously opposed same-sex marriage, he worked with Democrats in Congress to pass the Respect For Marriage Act, giving homosexuals legal marital status. His stance against illegal immigration changed as he once again went to the Democrat’s side. Previously, Tillis was a strong proponent of gun rights while in the N.C. House. Yet, he changed his position to align with Congressional Democrats in favor of gun reform legislation. In general, he supported Republican policies, but clearly, he could no longer be counted upon to stand with them, as he swayed from his strong previous conservative roots.

During Trump’s presidency, Tillis has often been a thorn in Trump’s side. In 2019, Tillis wrote a column for the Washington Post opposing Trump’s plan to declare a national emergency to fund the border wall. In 2025, Tillis slinked around in the background, hoping to defeat Pete Hegseth’s confirmation as secretary of defense. He reached out to Hegseth’s previous sister-in-law who had made allegations of drunken, alcoholic rages and wife abuse by Pete. He told her that if she signed an affidavit verifying this behavior, it would carry enough weight to defeat Hegseth’s nomination. Hegseth’s former wife, however, repudiated these allegations. In the end, Tillis cast the last “yes” vote for Hegseth. This resulted in a 50-50 tie which Vice President J.D. Vance broke in Hegseth’s favor.

Just this past weekend, Tillis and one other Republican left the party to vote with Democrats. His opposition to supporting the “Big, Beautiful Bill” brought Trump’s promise to primary Tillis in the 2026 election. Writing on Truth Social, Trump said, “Thom Tillis is telling the nation he wants to give them a 68-percent tax increase as opposed to the biggest tax cut in American history.”

He accused Tillis of not wanting what America wants.

“America wants reduced taxes, including no tax on tips, no tax on overtime and no tax on Social Security, interest deductions on cars, border security, a strong military and a bill which is great for our farmers, manufacturers and employment, in general.”

Tillis’ failure to support this bill had just sealed his fate for winning the 2026 senatorial race in N.C. And he knew it. He was a dead man walking. At least he had enough sense to read the writing on the wall.

So “Goodbye, Mr. Tillis. We’re glad to see you go.”

Now, N.C. voters have the opportunity to elect a senator whose priorities reflect the values of our people.

Renee C. Scheidt lives in Salisbury.