Latest news with #R-NC
New York Post
5 days ago
- Politics
- New York Post
RNC boss Michael Whatley to jump in NC Senate race after Lara Trump passes
Republican National Committee chair Michael Whatley is expected to jump into the North Carolina Senate race after Lara Trump once again decided to pass on a run, according to a report. Whatley, who has helmed the RNC since March of last year, is poised to face off against former North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper (D), who is rumored to kick off his campaign within the coming days for what is expected to be a bruising contest, Politico reported. Democrats widely view North Carolina's Senate contest as one of their best pickup opportunities in the 2026 cycle after Sen. Susan Collins' (R-Maine) seat. Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC), who currently holds the seat, announced late last month that he won't be seeking reelection following a high-profile clash with Trump over his opposition to the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Tillis has held that seat since 2015. Speculation quickly swirled that Lara Trump, who was born in Wilmington, North Carolina, was weighing a potential Senate bid. 3 RNC Chair Michael Whatley is expected to announced a bid for North Carolina's Senate seat within days. Ron Sachs – CNP for NY Post 3 Lara Trump has repeatedly declined to run for Senate despite her name being floated during multiple openings. Trump's daughter-in-law had served with Whatley on the RNC as the party's co-chair from March of last year until January. Lara Trump publicly confirmed on Thursday that she decided to pass on a run for the North Carolina Senate seat after having 'heartfelt discussions with my family, friends, and supporters.' 'I am deeply grateful for the encouragement and support I have received from the people of my home state whom I love so much,' she said on X. 'While I am not running in this election, my passion for Making America Great Again burns brightly, and I look forward to the future, wherever that leads.' Lara Trump, who is married to Eric Trump, previously passed on a chance to run for the Old North Star State Senate seat in 2022, which is now held by Sen. Ted Budd (R-NC), and the Florida Senate seat that opened up after her father-in-law tapped Marco Rubio as secretary of state. She currently hosts an eponymous 'My View' Fox News show, where she's interviewed party bigwigs such as her father-in-law, White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, and others. Prior to succeeding Ronna McDaniel as the RNC chair, Whatley had chaired the North Carolina Republican Party from 2019 to 2024. During that time, he won favor with Trump by backing efforts to contest the 2020 election results. 3 President Trump had tapped Michael Whatley as RNC chair last year. Getty Images Behind the scenes, Republicans have scrambled to find a strong contender to defend the open North Carolina Senate seat. While Trump won the Old North Star State last November, the GOP was clobbered in the gubernatorial race after Republican Mark Robinson dealt with a litany of scandals, such as alleged resurfaced postings made on pornography forum, Nude Africa. Since January, the National Republican Senatorial Committee had been quietly floating Whatley as a potential contender to replace Tillis, a GOP operative told The Post. NRSC Chairman Tim Scott, who hails from South Carolina, personally met with Whatley about the issue and internal polling indicated that a Trump-aligned Republican would have the best prospects of winning, the operative said. Republicans, who currently have a 53–47 seat majority, will have to defend 22 of the 35 seats in the upper chamber up for grabs in 2026. Historically, the party in the White House faces headwinds in midterm elections, but that hasn't always been the case for Senate races.
News18
14-07-2025
- Politics
- News18
Republican Senator Who Cast Deciding Vote For Pete Hegseth Says He Would Take It Back If He Could
The Republican senator who cast the deciding vote to confirm Pete Hegseth as Secretary of Defense trashed him in a CNN interview, saying that if he had it to do over again, he'd take it back. Speaking with Jake Tapper, Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) blasted the defense secretary's job performance. 'With the passing of time, I think it's clear he's out of his depth as a manager of a large complex organization,' Tillis said. Tillis went on to criticize Hegseth for reportedly freezing weapons shipments to Ukraine without getting approval from President Trump. 'I mean, this whole idea of having a pause in Ukraine defensive arms, that's just amateurish. That's from somebody who doesn't understand large organization dynamics," Tillis said. n18oc_crux
The Hill
03-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Hill
Trump's ‘big, beautiful bill' expected to pass House, head to POTUS's desk
Trump's 'big, beautiful bill' expected to pass House, head to POTUS's desk | RISING Niall Stanage and Amber Duke discuss House Republicans passing President Trump's, 'big, beautiful bill,' before the GOP's self-imposed July 4 deadline. Megyn Kelly goes off on Diddy verdict: 'F—ing ridiculous' | RISING Niall Stanage and Amber Duke discuss Sean 'Diddy' Combs being acquitted on sex trafficking charges and found guilty on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution. Elon Musk admits wielding chainsaw at CPAC 'lacked empathy' | RISING Niall Stanage and Amber Duke discuss Elon Musk expressing regret for the now-infamous chainsaw-wielding appearance alongside Argentinian President Javier Milei, saying it was not, 'empathetic.' Trump, Mamdani beef after POTUS threatens to arrest him | RISING Niall Stanage and Amber Duke discuss President Trump railing against NYC mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, calling him a, 'communist lunatic.' Dem congressman slams Republicans, sparks outrage during hearing | RISING Niall Stanage and Amber Duke react to Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC) clashing with Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-FL) after Frost related the value of the, 'right to life,' to gun violence. Vivek Ramaswamy opponent defends against attacks over her Covid-era policies | RISING Former Ohio Department of Health Director Dr. Amy Acton joins Rising to discuss her run for Ohio governor as the sole Democratic candidate. Penn eliminates Lia Thomas's records, titles, bans transgender athletes from women's sports | RISING Niall Stanage and Amber Duke react to UPenn banning transgender athletes from women's sports and stripping Lia Thomas's swimming records. Sabrina Carpenter's album cover sparks backlash | RISING Niall Stanage and Amber Duke discuss pop star Sabrina Carpenter releasing a new cover for her latest album after facing intense backlash.
Yahoo
30-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Sen. Tillis says he will retire following Trump attacks
Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC) announced he will not seek another term hours after voting against President Trump's budget bill, expressing concerns it would be harmful to his constituents. Basil Smikle's message to Sen. Tillis is to 'stay and fight' and weighs in on the messaging democrats need to send around the budget bill.
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First Post
30-06-2025
- Politics
- First Post
Republican Senator who opposed Trump's Big Beautiful Bill says he 'won't seek reelection'
Republican Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina said he won't run for reelection next year, announcing his retirement a day after opposing Trump's Big Beautiful Bill, which cuts funding for health care. read more WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 25: U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) talks to reporters as he walks to the Senate Chamber at the U.S. Capitol on June 25, 2025 in Washington, DC. Republican lawmakers are aiming to complete passage of the "One, Big, Beautiful Bill" by this weekend, which by some estimates would add at least $2.8 trillion to the $36.2 trillion U.S. debt in the long term./AFP (Photo by Kevin Dietsch / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP) Republican Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina announced on Sunday that he will not run for reelection next year. The news came just a day after he opposed President Donald Trump's tax and spending plan because it cuts funding for health care programs. Tillis's retirement opens up a Senate seat in North Carolina, a key swing state, giving Democrats a chance to gain ground in the 2026 midterm elections. It also makes Tillis a wildcard in the Republican Party, where few lawmakers challenge Trump's agenda. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Trump had already threatened to support a primary challenger against Tillis. On Sunday, Trump posted that Tillis's decision not to run was 'Great News!' 'In Washington, it's become clear that leaders who support bipartisanship and independent thinking are becoming rare,' Tillis said in a statement. He added that he was proud of his public service but recognized how hard it is for politicians who don't always follow their party line. 'I look forward to having the freedom to speak my mind and serve the people of North Carolina as best I can,' he said. Currently, Republicans hold a 53-47 majority in the Senate. Trump had criticized Tillis on social media for voting on Saturday night against moving forward with the large tax bill. Trump accused him of only seeking publicity and threatened to campaign against him. He also accused Tillis of failing to help people in western North Carolina after floods from Hurricane Helene last year. 'Tillis is a talker and complainer, NOT A DOER,' Trump wrote. Many Republican leaders were surprised by the timing of Tillis's announcement, though not entirely by his decision. He had planned to reveal his future plans later this year but was leaning toward retiring, according to someone familiar with his thinking. Before announcing his decision, Tillis was considering whether Trump and the White House would allow him to campaign independently, and whether he'd have support from Senate Republican leaders. The answer to both, he realized, was no, especially after Trump's call for a primary challenger and GOP plans to cut Medicaid, which Tillis said would hurt North Carolina. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Tillis decided to retire rather than face questions about whether he might change his vote on the Republican tax bill. North Carolina Republican Party Chairman Jason Simmons said the party wishes Tillis well and is determined to keep the seat in Republican hands in 2026. Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina, who leads the Senate Republican campaign committee, didn't mention Tillis directly but said Republicans would keep winning in North Carolina, noting that Trump has won the state three times. Democrats see an opportunity. Former Republican Wiley Nickel, who announced his candidacy in April, said he's ready to face any Republican opponent. 'I've flipped a tough seat before, and we're going to do it again,' Nickel said in a statement. Some Democrats say Tillis's decision highlights how Trump has changed the Republican Party, leaving little room for those who disagree with him. 'This proves there's no space in the Republican Party for anyone who opposes taking health care away from 11.8 million people,' said Lauren French, spokesperson for the Senate Majority PAC, which supports Senate Democrats. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Tillis first rose to political prominence in North Carolina when, as a second-term state House member, he left his job as an IBM consultant to help Republicans win the state legislature in 2010 for the first time in 140 years. He later became speaker of the state House and helped pass conservative laws on taxes, gun rights, regulations, and abortion. He also supported a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage, which voters approved in 2012 but was later struck down by the courts. In 2014, Tillis helped Republicans take control of the U.S. Senate by narrowly defeating Democratic Senator Kay Hagan. Over his years in office, he focused on issues like mental health, substance abuse treatment, Medicaid expansion, and veterans' support. As a more moderate Republican, Tillis became known for sometimes working with Democrats on certain issues. With inputs from AP
