Lara Trump confirms she won’t run for U.S. Senate for North Carolina
Lara Trump, daughter-in-law to President Donald Trump, announced on social media Thursday she will not run in North Carolina’s U.S. Senate race.
“After much consideration and heartfelt discussions with my family, friends and supporters, I have decided not to pursue the United States Senate seat in North Carolina at this time,” Trump wrote. “I am deeply grateful for the encouragement and support I have received from people of my home state whom I love so much.”
Trump is a Fox News host and is expected to release a new single Friday.
Trump’s announcement comes just hours after news broke that her co-chair at the Republican National Committee, Michael Whatley planned to run for the open Senate seat.
The seat is currently occupied by Sen. Thom Tillis, a Republican from Huntersville, but he chose to end his reelection campaign last month, after facing a policy dispute with the president and Republican leadership over the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Tillis said the bill, that’s now law, will end Medicaid coverage for more than 650,000 North Carolinians.
Without Tillis, Republicans were left scrambling to find a replacement to run in a race that’s set to break fundraising records and be highly scrutinized.
NC is a battleground state
North Carolina is a battleground state, known for splitting its ticket, and Republicans are fighting to maintain a slim majority in both Congressional chambers.
Both Whatley and Trump were heavily rumored to be contenders to run in Tillis’ stead.
Republican candidates Don Brown, a former JAG officer, and Andy Nilsson, a retired businessman, also intend to run.
Former Rep. Wiley Nickel, a Democrat from Cary, is running on the Democratic ticket.
Less than 24 hours before the Whatley news broke, former Gov. Roy Cooper’s top adviser Morgan Jackson confirmed Cooper would be making his own announcement about the Senate race in the coming days.
Multiple outlets are reporting Cooper will make his run official Monday.
Jackson is not confirming any details about Cooper’s announcement.
This story was originally published July 24, 2025 at 12:24 PM with the headline "Lara Trump confirms she won’t run for U.S. Senate for North Carolina."
