Thom Tillis | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2022 | |
| United States Senator from North Carolina | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2015 Serving with Ted Budd | |
| Preceded by | Kay Hagan |
| Speaker of the North Carolina House of Representatives | |
| In office January 26, 2011 – January 3, 2015 | |
| Preceded by | Joe Hackney |
| Succeeded by | Tim Moore |
| Member of the North Carolina House of Representatives from the 98th district | |
| In office January 1, 2007 – January 1, 2015 | |
| Preceded by | John Rhodes |
| Succeeded by | John Bradford |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Thomas Roland Tillis August 30, 1960 Jacksonville, Florida, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Susan Tillis |
| Children | 2 |
| Relatives | Rick Tillis (brother) |
| Education | Chattanooga State Community College University of Maryland University College (BS) |
| Website | Senate website |
Thomas Roland Tillis[1] (/ˈtɪlɪs/ TIL-iss; born August 30, 1960) is an American politician serving as the senior United States senator from North Carolina, a seat he has held since 2015. A member of the Republican Party, Tillis served in the North Carolina House of Representatives from 2007 to 2015, and as its speaker from 2011 to 2015.
As speaker of the North Carolina House of Representatives, Tillis led the Republican effort to block the expansion of Medicaid and worked to introduce restrictions on abortion, stringent voting requirements, and a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage. Tillis was elected to the Senate in 2014, defeating Democratic incumbent Kay Hagan,[2] and reelected by a slightly larger margin in 2020, defeating Democratic nominee Cal Cunningham.[3][4] He became the state's senior U.S. senator when Richard Burr retired in 2023.
In the Senate, Tillis has sought to repeal the Affordable Care Act, proposed a 15-year pathway to citizenship for some undocumented youth as a more conservative alternative to the bipartisan DREAM Act, and voted for the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which provided state funding for red flag laws, crises intervention orders and school safety resources. Tillis initially opposed President Donald Trump's national emergency declaration to divert funding to a border wall, but voted for it after pressure from his party. His views on same-sex marriage evolved over time, and in 2022 he voted for the Respect for Marriage Act, which repealed the Defense of Marriage Act and codified same-sex and interracial marriage into federal law.
- ^ "MULTIPLE Thomas R. Tillises". News & Observer. Archived from the original on April 1, 2012.
- ^ "Thom Tillis ousts Sen. Kay Hagan in North Carolina". CBS News. November 5, 2014. Archived from the original on October 29, 2020. Retrieved October 2, 2020.
- ^ Scott, Dylan (November 10, 2020). "Sen. Thom Tillis holds off Democratic challenger in North Carolina, a crucial win for Republicans". Vox. Archived from the original on November 10, 2020. Retrieved November 10, 2020.
- ^ Snell, Kelsey; Walsh, Deirdre (November 10, 2020). "GOP Sen. Thom Tillis Wins Reelection In North Carolina After Democrat Concedes". NPR.org. Archived from the original on January 4, 2021. Retrieved January 4, 2021.