WASHINGTON, D.C. – Before the Senate began their vote-a-rama, the weekend was filled with drama and GOP infighting on the megabill. A couple of Republican Senators voted against advancing the bill, which got a lot of push back from their party, including from President Trump.
The President shared on social media warnings to members who would stray from supporting the bill. At one point, Trump turned his attention on Republican Senator Thom Tillis (R- NC) saying he will be looking at potential replacements for the two-term Senator.
Tillis earlier stated on the floor the changes to Medicaid in the bill would hurt his constituents. He added that the changes don’t reflect the President’s promise to not touch Medicaid. Tillis then suddenly announced he would not seek re-election after the President’s comments online.
“The threat of Donald Trump to back a primary challenger to somebody he doesn’t like in his own party is a very real threat,” said Dr. Todd Belt, professor and director of political management at George Washington University. “He has done this. Look at the ten people who voted for his impeachment who were Republicans: eight of them lost. Mostly because they were primaried by somebody he backed. Others could just read the writing on the wall. So, sometimes you don’t even have to run somebody to know that if Donald Trump is coming for you, you’re probably not going to keep your job.”
We expect Democrats to try to flip Tillis’ seat, but many seats that are up for re-election in 2026 are in deep red states. It might be hard for Democrats to take back the Senate next year.
