U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis’s decision to end his reelection bid gives President Donald Trump the opportunity to endorse a nominee that he views as more loyal than the incumbent Republican.
Tillis won his seat in 2014 by championing a conservative record as speaker of the North Carolina House of Representatives but later lost favor with Trump and the GOP base by questioning some of the president’s positions. Tillis on Sunday said he would forgo reelection, a day after Trump posted on social media that he planned on meeting with Republicans who wanted to "properly represent” North Carolina voters in the chamber.
Other WRAL Top Stories
Party insiders who spoke with WRAL News — including Washington and North Carolina-based campaign advisers, spokespeople and elected officials, among others — expect Trump to endorse a successor to Tillis sometime this year in order to avoid a competitive primary. While some candidates have already launched campaigns, these insiders expect Trump to consult with Republicans behind-the-scenes before announcing a candidate that GOP voters will be expected to support.
The race for Tillis’s seat is expected to be the most competitive Senate battle in the nation, and there’s lots of interest. But it’s in Republicans’ best interest to avoid a competitive primary.
Already businessman Andy Nilsson, who previously ran for lieutenant governor, and Don Brown, a former congressional candidate, have announced their intentions to seek the GOP nomination. But bigger names are expected to enter the race and any challenger to the Trump-endorsed candidate could undermine the GOP’s efforts: If Republicans attack each other in a primary by digging up dirt on one another, the Democratic candidate could use that information in the general election.
Democrat Wiley Nickel, a former congressman from Wake County, has launched his campaign for the seat. Former Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper, who has never lost an election, is also considering a run for the seat.
Here are a few names to watch in the coming weeks as Trump looks to pick the Republican nominee for Tillis’s seat, according to party insiders who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
Keeping it in the family: Lara Trump
The nomination is said to be Lara Trump’s — if she wants it. Lara Trump is married to the president’s son, Eric. She’s a Wilmington native and N.C. State University graduate who has supported her father-in-law on the campaign trail, on her Fox News show “My View with Lara Trump,” and as a co-chair of the Republican National Committee. Lara Trump served in the RNC role from March 2024 through the presidential election.
In announcing her departure from the RNC, Lara Trump told the Associated Press that she would be open to serving in elected office. She said she would “seriously consider” serving as a U.S. Senator in Florida if appointed to the seat vacated by former Florida Sen. Marco Rubio. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis ultimately picked the state’s Attorney General, Ashley Moody, for Rubio’s seat.
Lara Trump would be the best-case scenario for Republicans up and down North Carolina’s ballot, GOP operatives told WRAL. Donald Trump won North Carolina three times in a row and his brand is stronger among Republicans than that of any other candidate who might jump in the race. Her candidacy would likely energize the base and perhaps lead to an increase in visits to the state from the president.
While Republicans think Lara Trump would be great for North Carolina, North Carolina might not be great for Lara Trump, insiders told WRAL. She lives in Florida and would have to move back to the Tar Heel state to run for office. She is considering the idea but has two young children and may not want to disrupt their lives in Florida to run for U.S. Senate in another state, according to sources familiar with the situation. Lara Trump didn’t respond to a request for comment.
The inside man: Michael Whatley
Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley is another possibility to seek Tillis’s seat. He’d be more likely to pursue it if Lara Trump doesn’t, GOP insiders say.
Whatley has been a close ally of Trump for years and is said to be interested in seeking elected office. But a source familiar with Whatley’s thinking told the Associated Press that the RNC chair is neither actively considering nor putting out feelers for the Senate role. Whatley didn’t respond to a WRAL request for comment.
Whatley, who chaired the North Carolina Republican Party from 2019 to 2024, is perhaps more familiar with the GOP’s political apparatus in North Carolina than any other Republican who might seek Tillis’s seat, insiders said.
Whatley began his professional career in politics as a legal advisor for the George W. Bush campaign, helping with the 2000 recount in Florida. He transitioned to the U.S. Department of Energy under Bush and then worked as chief of staff for former Sen. Elizabeth Dole, a North Carolina Republican, before going into the energy sector.
When Whatley returned to North Carolina in 2015, he was among the first Republicans to support Trump in the GOP primary. Whatley then served as an advisor to the Trump campaign while continuing to work primarily as an energy consultant until 2019, when he ran for chair of the state party.
Party operatives have praised Whatley for stabilizing the state party after its former chairman, Robin Hayes, was indicted for lying to federal officials amid a bribery investigation. And Trump has credited Whatley for helping him carry North Carolina and re-take the presidency. Insiders said Trump might want Whatley to stay in his role at the RNC.
In a December social media post endorsing Whatley’s bid to remain RNC chair, Trump praised Whatley as a “smart, tough lawyer who put together a completely unprecedented election integrity operation” while organizing a get-out-the-vote campaign “that delivered the votes we needed in every battleground state.”
Whatley may not be as popular with the GOP base in North Carolina as Lara Trump. He lost support from some Republican activists in 2023, when he won reelection amid irregularities with the party’s mobile voting app. Insiders said if Lara Trump doesn’t run — and the president supports a Whatley run for U.S. Senate — then the GOP nomination is Whatley’s for the taking.
Jockeying for favor
If Whatley and Lara Trump choose not to pursue Tillis’s seat, insiders say, there are a number of North Carolina Republicans who may seek the president’s endorsement. Among them: U.S. Reps. Pat Harrigan, Richard Hudson, Brad Knott and Greg Murphy.
Expect Harrigan to be the most aggressive.
Harrigan, a West Point graduate who twice earned The Bronze Star Medal for his leadership in Afghanistan, is a first-term congressman who represents North Carolina’s 10th Congressional District, which runs from Winston-Salem to Charlotte’s northern suburbs. Harrigan first ran for office in 2022, losing a congressional race to Democrat Jeff Jackson, who now serves as the state’s attorney general.
Since then, Harrigan has gained popularity with the party’s base for his support of Trump and criticism of elected Republicans. Harrigan initially launched a campaign in the state’s 14th Congressional District. When former North Carolina House Speaker Tim Moore entered the race, Harrigan accused Moore of putting corporations over constituents.
Harrigan later decided to run in the 10th district, where he beat out four other Republicans for the GOP nomination before defeating Democrat Ralph Scott in the November election. In March, Harrigan signaled his displeasure with Tillis by announcing that Tillis’s campaign had used his name without his consent when an invitation for a Tillis fundraiser listed Harrigan as a special guest.
“Congressman Harrigan did not authorize or approve the use of his name in any materials for an event supporting Senator Tillis,” Lexi Kranich, Harrigan’s communications director, told Punchbowl News. “While we recognize the importance of holding this critical Senate seat for Republicans, Congressman Harrigan’s focus remains on advancing President Trump’s America First agenda.”
The Associated Press contributed to this article.