We’re more than a year out from midterm elections, and my home state’s legislative slate is already getting a shake-up.

Sen. Thom Tillis, R-North Carolina, announced on Sunday, June 29, that he would not be seeking reelection in 2026, a day after he voted against advancing President Donald Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” to the Senate floor.

The moderate senator said he would not support the bill based on how it would impact Medicaid recipients, leading Trump to say he was making a “BIG MISTAKE” for the state and country and threatened to find someone to challenge him in the Republican primary next spring.

“In Washington over the last few years, it’s become increasingly evident that leaders who are willing to embrace bipartisanship, compromise, and demonstrate independent thinking are becoming an endangered species,”

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