McConnell Laments ‘Big Setback' as GOP Senator Bows Out of Midterms
The former Senate Majority Leader, 83, took to X Monday afternoon to lament the sudden retirement of Republican Senator and Trump adversary Thom Tillis, calling it a 'big setback for the Senate and the Republican Conference.'
Tillis, a senator from North Carolina, shocked supporters on Sunday when he announced he would not seek reelection in 2026, after days of publicly clashing with President Trump over the Big Beautiful Bill.
The senator, 64, was one of two Republican senators, alongside Rand Paul, to vote against the bill on Saturday. In a statement posted to X that afternoon, Tillis said he feared the bill's cuts to Medicaid would be 'devastating' for his constituents.
On Saturday, the president bashed Senator Tillis on Truth Social for being one of two Republican senators to vote against the bill, warning he was 'Making a BIG MISTAKE for America.'
Trump also said he would meet with Republicans hoping to challenge Tillis in the Senate primary next year, and hoped to find 'someone who will properly represent the Great People of North Carolina.'
Trump posted again about Tillis on Sunday, just hours before the senator's surprise announcement, calling him a 'talker and complainer, NOT A DOER!'
In response, Tillis sent the President a text, later shared with The Hill, reading, 'Mr. President… Start thinking about my replacement.'
However, the prospect of replacing Tillis has sparked anxiety for many Republicans. Though Lara Trump, the president's daughter-in-law, is reportedly already considering a run to replace Tillis in her home state, many Republicans fear that without an incumbent, the seat is now vulnerable to being overtaken by a Democrat in the 2026 midterms.
The 2026 race had been considered a likely win for Tillis. Since his announcement, however, several nonpartisan pollsters, including the Cook Political Report and Inside Elections, have marked the seat as a 'toss-up' that is 'vulnerable to a Democratic takeover.'
Tillis isn't the only Republican Trump adversary to bow out ahead of next year's midterms. On Monday morning, Don Bacon, a five-term Republican House Representative from Nebraska, also announced he would not seek reelection in 2026.
Bacon's announcement generated similar concerns from Republicans that a Democrat could take control of his seat, as his district is considered a 'blue dot' in the otherwise heavily Republican state.
Hours after announcing he would step down, Tillis took to the Senate floor for a fiery speech condemning both the Big Beautiful Bill and the president, whom he called 'misinformed' for believing it would not impact Medicaid funding.
'I'm telling the president that you have been misinformed. You supporting the Senate mark will hurt people who are eligible and qualified for Medicaid,' said Tillis on the Senate Floor.
Tillis told reporters Sunday night, 'I respect President Trump, I support the majority of his agenda, but I don't bow to anybody when the people of North Carolina are at risk, and this puts them at risk.'
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