When Senator Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) announced that he would not be seeking re-election, I thought for sure Lara Trump would finally make her attempt to win a seat.
After reflection, she decided it was best to remain on the sidelines.
With Lara Trump out, the race is on, or at least it was, until the president announced his endorsement for the seat.
Senator Tillis has supported Trump on virtually every piece of legislation and issue that has come before Congress, but he did not fully support the BBB, which started a war between Trump and Tillis.
Tillis stood his ground, but then he announced that he would not be seeking re-election, tired of the constant battle of having to risk Trump’s wrath if he dared to question something or someone who Trump supported. He was also fed up with the partisan nature of politics these days.
He stated, “As many of my colleagues have noticed over the last year, and at times even joked about, I haven’t exactly been excited about running for another term.
“That is true since the choice is between spending another six years navigating the political theatre and partisan gridlock in Washington or spending that time with the love of my life Susan, our two children, three beautiful grandchildren, and the rest of our extended family back home. It’s not a hard choice, and I will not be seeking re-election.”
I honestly thought that Trump was putting pressure on Tillis to open the door for Lara Trump to run for that seat, as she had grown up in North Carolina, and it seemed a good fit.
The caveat to her running, however, is that she would have to leave Florida and move back to North Carolina. This would be a significant move because it would mean uprooting the children, and I think that eventually won out.
Trump stated, "After much consideration and heartfelt discussions with my family, friends, and supporters, I have decided not to pursue the United States Senate seat in North Carolina at this time.
“I am deeply grateful for the encouragement and support I have received from the people of my home state whom I love so much."
With Trump out of the picture, the door was open for everyone else, but RNC Chairman Michael Watley pounced first.
After Whatley announced, he immediately garnered the endorsement of Trump, who posted, "Michael Whatley has my Complete and Total Endorsement – HE WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN!"
Trump has also laid the groundwork for new leadership to take over the RNC, having already endorsed Florida State Senator Joe Gruters for the spot, as well as announcing his support for Jennifer Saul-Rich to take over as treasurer, the role currently being filled by Gruters.
Whatley will likely win the nomination regardless of who goes up against him after the Trump endorsement, but the race for the seat itself is going to be tough, with Tillis having only won his last election by 1.8%, which was less than 100,000 votes. We are going to get a real taste of how much influence Trump still has with his endorsements in this race alone.
