Career Timeline of Thom Tillis: Major Achievements and Milestones

Discover the career path of Thom Tillis, from the first major opportunity to industry-changing achievements.

Thom Tillis is an American politician and businessman, currently serving as a United States Senator from North Carolina since 2015. A Republican, he previously served in the North Carolina House of Representatives from 2007 to 2015, holding the position of State House Speaker from 2011. Tillis was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2014, defeating the incumbent Kay Hagan, and secured reelection in 2020. Following Richard Burr's retirement in 2023, Tillis became the senior U.S. Senator for North Carolina.

Sections (4)

Full Timeline Career & Achievements Success & Recognition Controversies & Scandals

1978: Worked at Provident Life

In 1978, Thom Tillis worked at Provident Life and Accident Insurance Co. in Chattanooga, Tennessee, helping computerize records in conjunction with Wang Laboratories.

1986: University Degree

In 1986, Thom Tillis received a Bachelor of Science in technology management from the University of Maryland University College.

1990: Joined Price Waterhouse

In 1990, Thom Tillis was recruited to work for accounting and consulting firm Price Waterhouse.

1996: Promoted to Partner

In 1996, Thom Tillis was promoted to partner at Price Waterhouse.

2002: Joined IBM and Started Political Career

In 2002, Thom Tillis joined IBM after PricewaterhouseCoopers sold its consulting arm. He also began his political career in Cornelius, pushing for a local bike trail and being elected to the town's park board.

2003: Ran for Town Commissioner

In 2003, Thom Tillis ran for town commissioner and tied for second place.

2006: Elected to General Assembly

In 2006, Thom Tillis ran for the General Assembly, defeating incumbent John W. Rhodes in the Republican primary and winning the election unopposed.

2007: NC House of Representatives

In 2007, Thom Tillis served in the North Carolina House of Representatives.

2007: Renewable Portfolio Standard

In 2007, Thom Tillis voted in favor of a measure to give North Carolina a renewable portfolio standard.

2008: Reelected Unopposed

In 2008, Thom Tillis was reelected unopposed to the General Assembly.

2009: Left IBM

In 2009, Thom Tillis formally left IBM.

2010: Campaign Chairman & Reelected

In 2010, Thom Tillis was campaign chairman for the House Republican Caucus and was reelected unopposed.

2011: State House Speaker

In 2011, Thom Tillis served as the State House speaker.

2012: Pushed for North Carolina Amendment 1

In 2012, Thom Tillis played a leading role in pushing for North Carolina Amendment 1, a state constitutional amendment that banned same-sex marriage and civil unions.

2012: Reelected Unopposed

In 2012, Thom Tillis was reelected unopposed to the General Assembly.

2013: Speaker Reelected

In 2013, Thom Tillis was unanimously reelected as Speaker of the North Carolina House.

2014: Runs for U.S. Senate

In 2014, Thom Tillis announced that he would not seek reelection to the state House, instead running for U.S. Senate against first-term Democratic incumbent Kay Hagan. He was endorsed by Jeb Bush, Pat McCrory, Mitt Romney, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

2014: Appealed ruling on Amendment 1

In 2014, Thom Tillis appealed a ruling that North Carolina Amendment 1 was unconstitutional.

2014: Elected to the Senate

In 2014, Thom Tillis was elected to the United States Senate, defeating Democratic incumbent Kay Hagan.

2014: NRA support during Senate campaign

In 2014, during Thom Tillis' Senate campaign, the National Rifle Association Political Victory Fund (NRA-PVF) spent $4.4 million, half in support of Tillis and half in opposition to Hagan.

2015: Became US Senator

In 2015, Thom Tillis became a United States senator from North Carolina.

2015: Offshore Drilling

In 2015, Thom Tillis called for opening up the United States' Atlantic coast for offshore drilling.

2015: Voted for amendment on same-sex marriage

In 2015, Thom Tillis voted for an amendment to a non-binding resolution that would allow same-sex married couples living in states that do not recognize same-sex marriage to have access to government resources.

2015: Joined Senate Whistleblower Protection Caucus

Since 2015, Thom Tillis has been a member of the Senate Whistleblower Protection Caucus, which raises awareness of the need for protections against retaliation for employees who report wrongdoing.

2016: Voted on gun control bills

In 2016, after the Orlando nightclub shooting, Thom Tillis voted for Republican bills to increase funding for the federal background check system and delay gun sales for 72 hours for individuals on the terrorist watchlist, but against Democratic bills to ban individuals on the terrorist watchlist from purchasing a gun and require background checks at gun shows and during online sales.

March 2017: Voted for Broadband Consumer Privacy Proposal

In March 2017, Thom Tillis voted for the Broadband Consumer Privacy Proposal that removed the FCC's internet privacy rules and allowed internet service providers to sell customers' browsing history without their permission.

November 2017: Opposed EPA Nomination

In November 2017, Thom Tillis opposed Trump's nomination of Michael Dourson for an EPA role.

2017: Paris Agreement

In 2017, Thom Tillis called on Trump to withdraw the United States from the Paris Agreement.

2017: Supportive of Trump

In 2017, Thom Tillis said that he had "not deviated once from any nomination or any vote that the president happens to be supportive of".

2017: Condemned genocide in Myanmar

In 2017, Thom Tillis was one of 21 senators to sign a letter condemning the genocide of the Rohingya Muslim minority in Myanmar.

2017: Proposed legislation on DACA

In 2017, amid moves by President Trump to cancel DACA, Thom Tillis proposed legislation to allow some undocumented youth brought to the U.S. as children to apply for renewable five-year residency, and eventually citizenship.

January 2018: Letter on Trade Agreement

In January 2018, Thom Tillis was one of 36 Republican senators to sign a letter to Trump requesting he preserve the North American Free Trade Agreement.

2018: Beneficiary of NRA funding

As of 2018, Thom Tillis was the third-largest beneficiary of NRA funding in Congress.

2018: Introduced legislation on preexisting conditions

In 2018, amid attempts to repeal the ACA, Thom Tillis introduced legislation to compensate for the ACA's requirement that insurers cover people with preexisting conditions, but the bill was criticized for loopholes. Tillis later stated he could make improvements to the bill.

February 2019: Opposed Trump's emergency declaration

In February 2019, Thom Tillis wrote an op-ed opposing Trump's national emergency declaration concerning the southern border.

December 2019: Tucker Drops Out of Primary

In December 2019, Garland Tucker dropped out of the Republican primary race after Trump endorsed all incumbent Republican senators up for election in 2020, including Thom Tillis.

2019: Signed letter to EPA

In 2019, Thom Tillis was one of 20 senators to sign a letter asking the EPA to regulate the amount of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in drinking water.

April 2020: Concern over Internet Archive initiative

In April 2020, Thom Tillis expressed concern that the Internet Archive's "National Emergency Library" initiative violated copyright law, arguing it rewrote copyright law at the expense of creators.

May 2020: Voted against FISA amendment

In May 2020, Thom Tillis voted against an amendment to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act to bar warrantless surveillance of web browser history.

September 2020: Opposition to Affordable Care Act

As of September 2020, North Carolina remains one of only 12 states not to have expanded Medicaid, due to legislation led by Thom Tillis which prevents the governor from expanding the program. Tillis has stated healthcare is "not a government responsibility".

September 2020: Supported Immediate Vote on Trump Nominee

In September 2020, with less than two months to the next presidential election, Thom Tillis supported an immediate vote on President Trump's nominee for the Supreme Court.

2020: Senate campaign climate stance

During his 2020 Senate campaign, Tillis was described as trying to appear as a moderate proponent of market-based climate solutions, despite a record as a fossil fuel advocate.

2020: Solar Energy Production

In 2020, North Carolina was second in solar energy production.

2020: Expressed support for Soleimani assassination

In 2020, Thom Tillis expressed support for the US military's assassination of Iranian major general Qasem Soleimani by drone strike.

2020: Reelected to the Senate

In 2020, Thom Tillis was reelected in the United States Senate.

2020: Reversed position on emergency declaration

In 2020, after initially opposing Trump's national emergency declaration, Thom Tillis reversed his position and voted for it.

January 2021: Vote Alignment with Trump

As of January 2021, Thom Tillis has voted with Trump's stated positions 90% of the time.

May 28, 2021: Voted against Capitol attack commission

On May 28, 2021, Thom Tillis voted against creating an independent commission to investigate the 2021 United States Capitol attack.

August 2021: Called for accountability for Capitol attack

In August 2021, Thom Tillis stated that "many involved" in the January 6 Capitol attack needed to be held accountable and go to prison.

2021: Amendment on copyright streaming

In 2021, Thom Tillis inserted an amendment to the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 to make the unauthorized commercial streaming of copyrighted material a felony, with penalties of up to three years in prison.

July 2022: Supported bipartisan bill on same-sex marriage

In July 2022, Thom Tillis said that he would "probably" support a bipartisan bill to codify same-sex marriage in the U.S.

November 2022: Called Senate's same-sex marriage bill a good compromise

In November 2022, Thom Tillis called the Senate's same-sex marriage bill "'a good compromise... based on mutual respect for our fellow Americans'".

November 29, 2022: Voted for the Respect for Marriage Act

On November 29, 2022, Thom Tillis voted for the Respect for Marriage Act, which passed the Senate and was enacted, repealing the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and codifying rights to same-sex and interracial marriage into federal law.

2022: Voted against Honoring our PACT Act

In 2022, Thom Tillis was among the 11 senators who voted against the Honoring our PACT Act of 2022, a bill that funded research and benefits for veterans exposed to toxic substances, citing concerns about the Department of Veterans Affairs' ability to implement the legislation effectively.

2022: Supported Bipartisan Safer Communities Act

In 2022, Thom Tillis was one of 15 Republican senators to support the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which included funding for state red flag provisions, school safety resources, stronger background checks for buyers under 21, and penalties for straw purchases.

2023: Senior US Senator

In 2023, Thom Tillis became the state's senior U.S. senator when Richard Burr retired.

February 2025: Called Putin a war criminal

In February 2025, Thom Tillis called Russian President Vladimir Putin a war criminal and the "greatest threat of democracy in my lifetime", while not directly criticizing Trump's approach to the conflict.

May 2025: Opposed Ed Martin nomination

In May 2025, Thom Tillis announced he would oppose the confirmation of Ed Martin as United States Attorney for the District of Columbia due to Martin's defense of January 6 rioters. Trump withdrew the nomination.

June 2025: Opposed One Big Beautiful Bill Act

In June 2025, Thom Tillis opposed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act due to concerns about Medicaid cuts; as a result, Trump threatened to support primary challengers against him.

June 2025: Opposed Bill and Announces No Reelection

In June 2025, Thom Tillis was one of three Republican senators to oppose the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. After Trump criticized him, Tillis announced he would not seek reelection, saying, "In Washington over the last few years, it's become increasingly evident that leaders who are willing to embrace bipartisanship, compromise, and demonstrate independent thinking are becoming an endangered species."

June 29, 2025: Tillis Announces No Reelection

On June 29, 2025, Thom Tillis announced that he would not seek reelection to a third term in 2026.

2025: Involvement in Hegseth nomination

In 2025, Thom Tillis allegedly told Secretary of Defense nominee Pete Hegseth's ex-sister-in-law that a sworn statement from her would carry weight regarding his potential alcohol abuse and abuse of his second wife. He ultimately voted to confirm Hegseth, citing lack of corroboration, though there were reports he changed his vote due to pressure from President Trump.