A pair of high-ranking Republican lawmakers suddenly announced their respective resignations in the span of less than 24 hours.
Now insiders believe this could be the start of turmoil brewing amongst the Republican Party.
Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., announced today that he will not seek re-election next year.
“After 30 years in the Air Force and 10 years in Congress, it’s time to spend my future with the love of my life, our four kids, and our wonderful grandchildren. Thank you, Nebraska!” Bacon said on X.
When we started this journey in 2015, we had one grandchild. Today, Angie and I are blessed to have eight grandchildren. After 30 years in the Air Force and 10 years in Congress, it’s time to spend my future with the love of my life, our four kids, and our wonderful… pic.twitter.com/1OT11kB6oz
— Don Bacon 🇺🇸 🥓 ✈️ 🏍️ ⭐️ 🎖️ (@DonJBacon) June 30, 2025
Bacon, a well-known House GOP centrist, resigned just hours after Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., announced Sunday he would also not seek re-election next year.
Both Bacon and Tillis — despite being in separate chambers — were both known as moderate Republicans who often clashed with President Donald Trump.
Bacon’s announcement comes as Congress works overtime to pass Trump’s “Big, Beautiful Bill” by their self-imposed July 4 deadline.
The megabill seeks to deliver on Trump’s key campaign promises, including tax cuts, immigration reform and energy production.
However, Bacon voiced concerns about the impact of proposed Medicaid cuts within the bill, despite ultimately voting with his Republican colleagues to pass the One Big Beautiful Bill Act last month.
Bacon indicated earlier this month that he would vote against the White House’s rescission proposal if it cuts an AIDS relief program.
Last month, he was the only Republican who voted against a House bill to make Trump’s name change for the Gulf of America permanent. Bacon, a loyal Ukraine supporter, has also criticized Trump’s position on its war with Russia.
When asked how he plans to vote on Trump’s megabill this week, Bacon said he will have to weigh his decision once the Senate version is finalized this week.
“I think the Senate has done some new provisions in there that are concerning… But there’s a lot of amendments being voted out today. So I’m going to keep my powder dry, see how it turns out,” Bacon told reporters.
Like Bacon, Tillis has been willing to buck Trump and the Republican Party on key issues, including the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Tillis was one of just two Republicans who voted against a procedural vote on the bill in the Senate this weekend.
During his press conference, Bacon said he was proud of his bipartisan approach in the face of bitter partisanship and dysfunction in Washington.
“It is disconcerting to get attacked from the right,” Bacon said.
″I think it’s time for a new Republican to be your nominee that can do 12-14 hours a day and hold this seat,” Bacon said.
Bacon said in “this district, you got to win swing voters. It’s just a fact of life.” But he said Republicans will have a good shot at keeping the seat in 2026 because the Democrats in the race so far are appealing to the hard left.
However, Bacon’s district will be a hotly contested race for both parties.
Bacon has represented Nebraska’s 2nd Congressional District since 2017. He won re-election in 2024 by less than two percentage points.
Former Vice President Kamala Harris won Bacon’s district by almost five percentage points in 2024.
Bacon’s congressional district was already a high-target House seat for Democrats ahead of the competitive 2026 midterm elections.
“The writing has been on the wall for months,” Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) spokesperson Madison Andrus said late last week.
Bacon, a veteran of the U.S. Air Force, chairs the House Armed Services Committee’s (HASC) Cyber, Information Technologies and Innovation Subcommittee (CITI) for the 119th Congress.
He vowed to continue delivering for Nebraskans “until the lights in the office are turned off for the last time.”
“Legislatively, I aim to work to get five agricultural bills passed that were included as part of the Farm Bill, including the increase of defenses for our nation’s food supply chain and removing barriers for the next generation of farmers seeking to establish their operations. I will continue my work on the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) and lay the groundwork for a new VA hospital in Omaha.”