Thom Tillis

Thom Tillis
Official portrait, 2022
United States Senator
from North Carolina
Assumed office
January 3, 2015
Serving with Ted Budd
Preceded byKay Hagan
Speaker of the North Carolina House of Representatives
In office
January 26, 2011 – January 3, 2015
Preceded byJoe Hackney
Succeeded byTim Moore
Member of the North Carolina House of Representatives
from the 98th district
In office
January 1, 2007 – January 1, 2015
Preceded byJohn Rhodes
Succeeded byJohn Bradford
Personal details
Born
Thomas Roland Tillis

(1960-08-30) August 30, 1960
Jacksonville, Florida, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
Spouse
Susan Tillis
(m. 1987)
[1]
Children2
RelativesRick Tillis (brother)
EducationChattanooga State Community College
University of Maryland, University College (BS)
WebsiteSenate website
Campaign website

Thomas Roland Tillis[2] (born August 30, 1960) is an American businessman and politician of the Republican Party serving since 2015 as a United States senator from North Carolina. He served in the North Carolina House of Representatives from 2007 to 2015 and as the State House speaker from 2011 to 2015. Tillis was elected to the United States Senate in 2014, defeating Democratic incumbent Kay Hagan, and reelected in 2020. He became the state's senior U.S. senator when Richard Burr retired in 2023.

A moderate Republican,[3][4][5] Tillis has voted for proposals such as the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which provided states funding for red flag laws, and the Respect for Marriage Act, which repeals the Defense of Marriage Act. He supports a pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants, and initially opposed President Donald Trump's national emergency declaration to divert funding to a border wall.

Tillis serves on the Senate Security and Cooperation in Europe; Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs; Finance; Judiciary; and Veterans' Affairs Committees.[6]

On June 29, 2025, Tillis announced that he would not seek reelection to a third term in 2026.[7]

  1. ^ @senthomtillis; (June 28, 2025). "Happy anniversary to my beautiful bride, Susan. Your unconditional love has been one of the greatest gifts of my life. You are my best friend, and having you by my side for the past 38 years has been an incredible journey. I love you! ❤️" – via Instagram.
  2. ^ "MULTIPLE Thomas R. Tillises". News & Observer. Archived from the original on April 1, 2012.
  3. ^ Dil, Cuneyt; Sherman, Lucille (May 8, 2025). "N.C. Sen. Thom Tillis delivers final blow to Trump DC attorney pick". Axios.
  4. ^ Seaton, Iris. "'Get the (expletive) out of office': Sen. Thom Tillis releases death threats. Free speech?". The Asheville Citizen Times.
  5. ^ WRAL (November 17, 2024). "Trump nominations put NC's Thom Tillis, the nation's 'most vulnerable' Republican senator, in the spotlight". WRAL.com. Retrieved June 4, 2025.
  6. ^ "U.S. Senate: Committee Assignments of the 119th Congress". www.senate.gov. Retrieved February 12, 2025.
  7. ^ Walsh, Deirdre (June 29, 2025). "Republican Sen. Thom Tillis will not seek reelection next year after Trump attacks". NPR. Retrieved June 29, 2025.