Battle for open North Carolina Senate seat poised to be hotly contested

The race to succeed retiring Republican North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis is shaping up to be highly competitive mere days after he announced his retirement.

On Sunday, Tillis announced that he will not seek reelection in 2026, shortly after President Donald Trump threatened to back a primary challenger against the senator over his decision to vote against advancing the president’s megabill. Tillis’s surprise retirement announcement has spurred speculation that the GOP primary for his open Senate seat will be hotly contested.

Some names that have been floated as potential contenders to succeed Tillis include Republican National Committee (RNC) chairman Michael Whatley, former RNC co-chair Lara Trump — the president’s daughter-in-law — as well as Republican North Carolina Reps. Richard Hudson and Pat Harrigan.

Whatley and Mrs. Trump served as the RNC’s chairman and co-chair, respectively, during the 2024 presidential election, which saw the Republican Party regain the presidency and the Senate, in addition to holding the House.

Moreover, Whatley served as the chairman of the North Carolina Republican Party from 2019 to 2024, and is considered a close Trump ally.

“Chairman Whatley is honored to have been asked by President Trump to serve as the chair of the RNC following a hugely successful 2024 cycle,” a source close to the RNC told the DCNF. “Chairman Whatley is focused on serving the president and working with his team to protect and expand our Republican majorities in the midterms.”

Mrs. Trump — who notably considered launching a bid for North Carolina’s Senate race in 2021 — is “strongly considering” entering the 2026 contest, NBC News reported on Sunday. Several potential Republican candidates are waiting to see if the president’s daughter-in-law will jump into the state’s Senate race before making their own bids, some anonymous sources told Politico. Mrs. Trump could not immediately be reached for comment.

Harrigan was elected in 2024 to represent North Carolina’s 10th congressional district. A source close to Harrigan told the DCNF that “Congressman Harrigan is eyeing a run for the Tillis seat.”

Still, Harrigan wrote Tuesday in a post to X that if Mrs. Trump “enters this race, I’ll be the first to endorse her and the first to fight for her victory.”

North Carolina is viewed as a key battleground state in the 2026 midterms. In the 2024 presidential election, Trump narrowly won the state during the 2024 presidential election, securing 51% of the vote to former Vice President Kamala Harris’ 47.8%.

Hudson has represented North Carolina’s 9th congressional district since 2013, and is also the chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC). He is also viewed as a strong ally to the president. The congressman’s office did not respond to a request for comment.

Republicans are looking to maintain control of their majority in both the House of Representatives and the Senate in the 2026 midterm elections. While the Democratic Party is hoping to win back control in the Senate in 2026, some party leaders have signaled doubt that they will be able to regain control of the Senate in the upcoming midterms.

Tillis’ seat is widely viewed as essential for the Democrats’ longshot hopes of retaking the Senate in the midterms. Former one-term Democratic North Carolina Rep. Wiley Nickel announced a run for the seat in April, months before the incumbent senator’s retirement announcement. Furthermore, former Democratic North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper may enter the race, according to reports from Axios.

“President Trump has won North Carolina three times, and the state’s been represented by two Republican Senators for over a decade,” National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) Chairman Tim Scott said Sunday in a statement provided to the DCNF. “That streak will continue in 2026 when North Carolinians elect a conservative leader committed to advancing an agenda of opportunity, prosperity, and security.”

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