Democratic former Rep. Wiley Nickel on Wednesday launched his campaign to unseat Republican Sen. Thom Tillis in North Carolina, signaling that the race will be a referendum on President Donald Trump and his policies.
“Donald Trump is shredding our constitution and billionaires are cutting Medicare, dismantling FEMA, and taking a sledgehammer to our education system,” Nickel said in a statement announcing his run. “It’s happening right now, and Thom Tillis is cheering them on.”
Tillis, who is currently in his second term, is viewed as one of the most vulnerable senators on the 2026 ballot: Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales rates the race as a battleground. Five other states are rated as Senate battlegrounds by Inside Elections, including Maine, where Republican Susan Collins is seeking a sixth term, and Democrat-held seats in Georgia, Michigan, New Hampshire and Minnesota.
Tillis hasn’t shied away from occasionally criticizing Trump and his fellow Republicans and could face a primary challenge from the right.
Democrats could face their own internal struggles. Roy Cooper, the state’s popular former Democratic governor, hasn’t ruled out a Senate run. The Associated Press reported Wednesday that Cooper, who is currently on a short-term teaching fellowship at Harvard University, “wants to continue making a difference and he is taking time to thoughtfully consider what he does next,” according to a consultant to the former governor.
While his tenure in the House was brief, Nickel, 49, has had a long career in Democratic politics. He worked in the White House under Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama and as a congressional aide. He also ran unsuccessfully for the California state Senate in 2006.
Nickel moved to North Carolina in 2011 to become a partner in a law firm that specializes in criminal defense. In 2018 he won election to the state Senate, where he served for four years.
Redistricting after the 2020 census turned the state’s 13th District into a Raleigh-area swing seat evenly divided between Republicans and Democrats. Nickel comfortably won the 2022 Democratic nomination and then defeated Republican Bo Hines by 3 points in the general election.
But the following year, North Carolina Republicans redrew the state’s congressional map, turning Nickel’s seat into a heavily Republican one that Democrats had little chance of winning. Nickel then announced he would forgo reelection but would explore running for Senate in 2026.
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