Trump mentions daughter-in-law Lara as potential Senate candidate

(Patria) - Donald Trump mentioned his daughter-in-law Lara Trump as a possible replacement for US Senator Thom Tillis, who will not run for re-election in North Carolina after conflicts with the US President over his tax cut and spending bill, Reuters reported.

"Someone who would be really great is Lara," Trump told reporters on Air Force One. "She grew up there, but they live in Florida," he said. "She's a great person, Lara Trump. I mean, that would always be my first choice. But she doesn't live there now, but she's there all the time."

The North Carolina seat is considered one of the few competitive Senate races in the 2026 midterm elections, when control of both houses of Congress will be at stake.

Tillis was one of only three Republicans to vote against Trump's signed bill, which was passed yesterday by a narrow majority. It is now returning to the House of Representatives for possible final approval.

Tillis expressed concern that proposed cuts to the Medicaid health program for lower-income Americans could affect his constituents. His opposition to the bill angered Trump, who said he would consider supporting Tillis's opponents before the senator announced he would not run for another six-year term.
Lara Trump, who is married to Donald Trump's son, Eric, is a native of North Carolina and co-chaired the Republican National Committee in the run-up to the 2024 elections.

She considered running to replace Senator Marco Rubio of Florida when he left Congress to become Trump's Secretary of State, but ultimately withdrew. Earlier this year, she joined FOX News Channel and hosts the weekly show "My Take with Lara Trump."

The House of Representatives is dominated by Republicans, and Democrats face an uphill battle in their attempt to regain a majority in the Senate.

Republicans have a 53-47 advantage, and all but two of the Republicans running for election, Tillis and Susan Collins of Maine, are in states that Trump easily won in the 2024 presidential election. Trump won North Carolina by three percentage points in the 2024 election.

Former US Congressman Wiley Nickel is the most prominent Democrat to announce a candidacy against Tillis. Party leaders had hoped that former Governor Roy Cooper, who remains popular in the state, would enter the race.