Ex-congressman Nickel launches bid to unseat North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis in 2026

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Former Democratic U.S. Rep. Wiley Nickel of North Carolina announced on Wednesday his candidacy to try to unseat Sen. Thom Tillis in 2026, saying a “fighter for what’s right for our state” is needed and criticizing the Republican incumbent for backing President Donald Trump’s agenda.

Nickel signaled his interest in a Senate bid in late 2023, when the Raleigh-area congressman decided against seeking a second House term the next year because he determined congressional redistricting that year by Republican state legislators made it essentially impossible to win his seat again. A Nickel news release at the time said he would “explore a path forward” in the Senate.

A lawyer and former state senator, Nickel served in Congress though the end of last year and sought to build up name recognition in Democratic circles statewide by supporting party policies and raising money for party candidates in 2024.

In a campaign video marking the campaign’s formal launch, Nickel linked Tillis squarely to Trump and his early-term actions, as well as those of Elon Musk, who has spearheaded the Department of Government Efficiency.

“When the chips are down, Thom Tillis lays down for the billionaires, for the extremists, for policies that hurt North Carolina,” the 49-year-old Nickel said. “This is a moment for a new generation of leadership with a fresh vision and the courage to fight for what’s right. And that’s exactly what I’ll do in the U.S. Senate.”

Tillis, who was first elected to the Senate in 2014, is already raising money for his 2026 reelection bid. His seat is considered by Democrats one of a handful that they could potentially flip next year in their effort to take back the Senate majority. Tillis’ victories in 2014 and 2020 were narrow.

Other Democrats could still enter the race, with the chief consideration going to former Gov. Roy Cooper, who was barred by term limits from seeking a third term last fall. Mentioned among the top options to be Kamala Harris’ running mate last year, the 67-year-old Cooper is the state’s most popular Democrat and would automatically be considered the front-runner in a March 2026 primary if he joined.

Cooper, who is currently on a short-term teaching stint at Harvard University, “wants to continue making a difference and he is taking time to thoughtfully consider what he does next,” Cooper consultant Morgan Jackson wrote in a text message.

Some smaller-name Republicans so far have announced a primary bid against Tillis. Some ardent pro-Trump supporters have questioned his fealty to the president.

Tillis has been engaged in a delicate balancing act of voicing skepticism of Trump’s plans for tariffs or his pick for defense secretary, but then often turning to support the president’s agenda.

The politics are clearly on his mind. During a Senate hearing Tuesday with U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, he pressed the White House to think through the political ramifications of trying to remake the economy.

Tillis told Greer he was “trying to figure out if” voters would look favorably on Trump’s trade strategy next year “because a long-term play in American politics and a long-term play in American public policy formation is about 12 months.”

Still, Tillis last week voted against a Democratic effort to nullify the tariffs placed on Canadian imports.

Although Nickel talked about consensus-building while representing a Raleigh-area swing district in Congress, he was known for backing a left-leaning platform while in the legislature. Nickel highlighted on Wednesday a career that has included working as a White House staffer in Barack Obama’s administration.

In a Wednesday news release, Tillis campaign manager Abby Roesch called Nickel “a radical left-wing trial lawyer who was a rubber stamp for Joe Biden’s failed liberal agenda” and seeks to be a similar rubber stamp in the Senate.

Meanwhile, Roesch said, Tillis “has a proven record of delivering results for North Carolinians,” such as helping Trump pass tax cuts in his first term and approving disaster aid — such as after Hurricane Helene.

Talking to reporters Wednesday at the U.S. Capitol, Tillis said he would approach the election season by “focusing on the results. Let them speak for themselves.”

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Associated Press writer Stephen Groves in Washington contributed to this report.