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Thom Tillis

U.S. Senate · NC · Republicans · since 2021

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Candidate for U.S. Senate · NC

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Biography

Overview

Thom Tillis is a Republican U.S. Senator from North Carolina serving since 2015. He previously served in the North Carolina House of Representatives from 2007 to 2015, including as Speaker from 2011 to 2015. Tillis was first elected to the Senate in 2014, defeating Democratic incumbent Kay Hagan with 48.8% of the vote, and was reelected in 2020 with 48.7%. He became North Carolina's senior senator when Richard Burr retired in 2023. Analysts have generally regarded him as a moderate Republican. In June 2025, he announced he would not seek reelection to a third term.

Career

In the North Carolina House, Tillis served as Speaker and oversaw tax code restructuring, congressional redistricting, and sunset provisions for regulations. His legislative record includes both bipartisan compromises and conservative positions. In the Senate, he has championed intellectual property protections and patent reform while chairing relevant subcommittees. He supported the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act for red flag law funding and the Respect for Marriage Act, demonstrating willingness to cross party lines. However, he initially blocked Medicaid expansion in North Carolina, voted against the Honoring our PACT Act for veterans exposed to toxic substances, and opposed creating an independent commission to investigate the Capitol attack. In May 2025, his opposition to Trump's nominee Ed Martin for U.S. Attorney proved decisive in blocking the nomination.

Prior political experience

Tillis was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 2014, defeating Democratic incumbent Kay Hagan. He won with 48.8% of the vote to Hagan's 47.3%—the lowest winning percentage in North Carolina history for a U.S. Senate candidate. In 2020, Tillis ran for reelection against Democrat Cal Cunningham. Cunningham led in polls for most of the year but saw his advantage narrow after acknowledging an extramarital affair in October 2020. Tillis won reelection with 48.7% to Cunningham's 46.9%. Prior to his Senate service, Tillis was elected to the North Carolina House in 2006, defeating incumbent John W. Rhodes in the primary and winning the general election unopposed. He was reelected unopposed in 2008, 2010, and 2012.

Biographical material adapted from the Wikipedia article (retrieved April 29, 2026), available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Ideology

Liberal–Conservative (DW-NOMINATE dim 1)

Liberal
Conservative
119th Congress+0.386

Secondary axis (DW-NOMINATE dim 2)(?)

−1
+1
-0.104
Source: Voteview DW-NOMINATE · 599 scored votes

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Officeholding history

TermSeatTerm datesTerminationPredecessorSuccessor
2ndU.S. Senate NC Class 22021–presentIn progressThom Tillis—
1stU.S. Senate NC Class 22015–2021Term ended—Thom Tillis

Committee assignments

Current term legislation

Bills sponsored this term10

Bills cosponsored this term10

Elections

YearSeatResultVote shareField
——Pending——