Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley, backed by top GOP leaders, launched his bid for North Carolina’s open Senate seat on Thursday. The unified support puts Whatley on the fast track to a general election matchup against former Gov. Roy Cooper, Democrats’ marquee recruit.
Senate leaders, including Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) and National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman Tim Scott (R-SC), praised Whatley as a proven conservative with close ties to President Donald Trump and the national party infrastructure. Both pointed to Whatley’s record at the RNC and confidence in his ability to help expand the GOP’s Senate majority.
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“Michael Whatley has done an exceptional job leading the Republican National Committee through historic campaign successes, and I’m excited to endorse him in his bid to become North Carolina’s next U.S. Senator,” Thune said in a statement.
Scott echoed that message, calling Whatley a “strong America First conservative and a champion for the Tar Heel State.”
“Like President Donald J. Trump, Michael Whatley knows how to win North Carolina,” Scott said. “With Michael in the race and running to win, I know we will protect President Trump’s Senate Majority in 2026.”
Whatley began his Senate campaign in Gastonia, North Carolina, on Thursday with an emotional homecoming speech, thanking his family, local supporters, and Trump for shaping the modern Republican Party. Whatley credited Trump with transforming the GOP into a movement that defends families and communities across the country, saying, “Without his vision, without his leadership … we would not be sitting here today.”
Framing the 2026 race as a referendum on Democratic leadership, Whatley delivered a blistering critique of the Biden presidency. He cited soaring inflation, unchecked immigration, global instability, and what he described as federal inaction after Hurricane Helene as evidence of the country’s decline.
“Under Joe Biden, America was in free fall,” Whatley said.
However, he ended triumphantly, celebrating Trump’s reelection and Republican majorities in Congress as a mandate to “make America great again,” and positioning himself as a loyal foot soldier in that mission.
Whatley’s entry into the race comes on the heels of Lara Trump’s decision not to run. Whatley launched his campaign with the full backing of the president, who offered his “complete and total endorsement.”
Behind the scenes, Republican leadership moved quickly to consolidate support. At Tuesday’s closed-door policy lunch, Scott informed GOP senators of his endorsement and encouraged them to maximize contributions to Whatley’s campaign and join the host committee for a September NRSC-hosted fundraiser, according to a GOP source familiar with the discussion.
The NRSC formalized its support the next day, joining Whatley’s joint fundraising agreement shortly after his filing became official. The committee also cut a maximum contribution check of $62,000 directly to his campaign, the source said. In the run-up to the launch, NRSC operatives mounted an aggressive push, urging Hill staff and Republican consultants to have their clients sign fundraising appeals and circulate donation requests on Whatley’s behalf.
Sen. Thom Tillis’s (R-NC) decision to forgo reelection has scrambled the political map in North Carolina, opening a high-stakes Senate seat in one of the nation’s most competitive states.
As RNC chairman, Whatley worked closely with the Trump campaign and national Republicans to align party strategy heading into the midterm elections. Prior to his time at the RNC, Whatley was the North Carolina GOP chairman for five years.
The race is expected to be one of the most high-profile and costly of the cycle. While Republicans have won seven of the past eight Senate contests in North Carolina, the state remains fiercely competitive, drawing heavy investment from both parties in recent elections. Democrats see the race as their top chance to flip a seat in the midterm elections as they try to regain control of the Senate.
MICHAEL WHATLEY ENTERS NORTH CAROLINA SENATE RACE, SETTING UP 2026 CLASH WITH COOPER
Democrats have swiftly coalesced around Cooper, who raised a record $3.4 million within a day of launching his campaign. The two-term governor is leaning on his executive record, touting Medicaid expansion, education investments, and his pandemic response.
“Michael Whatley is a D.C. insider and big oil lobbyist who supports policies that are ripping healthcare away from North Carolinians and raising costs for middle-class families,” Cooper campaign manager Jeff Allen said in a statement. “North Carolinians don’t need a lobbyist as their senator, and voters will have a clear choice between Whatley’s long career as a Beltway insider against Roy Cooper’s record of putting partisanship aside to get results for North Carolina.”