Republicans are eager to see Lara Trump enter the North Carolina Senate race, with many seeing her as their best opportunity to keep the seat after Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) announced he wouldn't seek reelection.

The daughter-in-law of President Trump and a former Republican National Committee (RNC) co-chair, Lara Trump has quickly become an early favorite for the GOP nomination if she chooses to run. A source close to the president said she’s considering a bid; it would clear the Republican field if she chooses to go forward.

While she’s turned down possible Senate bids in the past, she would bring significant name recognition and instant backing from the top levels of the GOP.

“She has, in my opinion, earned the right of first refusal if she wants to do it,” said North Carolina Republican strategist Jonathan Felts. “And more importantly, regardless of what I think about it, the most powerful and the most popular Republican on the planet, he thinks so, too.”

A potential Senate run for Lara Trump, who is married to the president’s son Eric, has been teased for years.

She was rumored as a possible candidate to succeed former Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.) in the state’s 2022 Senate race, but she decided against it, citing the difficulty of running with young children. She endorsed then-Rep. Ted Budd (R-N.C.) in the race; he went on to win.

“I am saying no for now, not no forever,” she said at the time about her own possible candidacy.

She was also rumored last year to be an option for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) to fill the Senate seat vacated by Secretary of State Marco Rubio. She

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