Trump throws his support behind RNC Chair Michael Whatley for NC Senate seat

Danielle Battaglia, The News & Observer (Raleigh) on Jul 24, 2025

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President Donald Trump has picked the candidate he’s supporting to fill North Carolina’s open Senate seat in the 2026 election: Michael Whatley.

Whatley is a North Carolina native who served as head of the state’s Republican Party before Trump selected him in 2024 as chairman of the Republican National Committee.

On Thursday night, Trump posted on Truth Social that he wants “friends in North Carolina” to “get Michael Whatley to run for the U.S. Senate.” In giving Whatley his “total endorsement,” he cited his efforts to get him elected in 2024, including wins in swing states, as reason for his support.

“Mike would make an unbelievable Senator from North Carolina,” Trump wrote. “I need him in Washington.”

Whatley is expected to step down as RNC chair to make his first run for office but has not officially done so.

McClatchy confirmed Whatley’s candidacy, first reported by Politico Thursday morning, with a Republican consultant helping to organize the campaign in North Carolina.

Lara Trump, the president’s daughter-in-law and Whatley’s former RNC co-chair, said Thursday she would not pursue the seat. She is currently registered to vote in Florida and is a Fox News host.

“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,” Lara 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.”

Whatley is expected to face off against retired businessman Andy Nilsson and former JAG officer Don Brown in the Republican primary.

Trump, in his Thursday social media post, said he would support Florida State Sen. Joe Gruters as the new chair of the RNC. He is currently treasurer of the RNC and previously served as chair of the Florida Republican Party.

NC Senate seat

The 2026 Senate election already was expected to be one of the most-watched and most-expensive in the country before Sen. Thom Tillis unexpectedly dropped his bid for reelection in June.

Tillis, a Republican from Huntersville, announced his reelection campaign late last year. But last month, Tillis signaled he wouldn’t vote for the One Big Beautiful Bill Act over concerns it would harm North Carolina Medicaid recipients.

Trump responded on social media to voice his discontent with Tillis’ decision, saying it would be a “big mistake.” He said he would look into supporting another candidate for the North Carolina seat.

The next day, Tillis dropped out of the race.

Tillis recently told McClatchy that he felt so strongly that the bill would harm North Carolina Medicaid recipients that he needed to take his campaign off the table as a potential bargaining chip.

“I thought it was a good time just to tell the president that he should start looking for a replacement,” Tillis said Wednesday.

Tillis said those interviews for a replacement began about 10 minutes later.

Former N.C. Gov. Roy Cooper, a Democrat, is expected to announce a run for Senate on Monday. Morgan Jackson, Cooper’s adviser, wouldn’t confirm media reports about the timing or the specifics of his announcement.

In Trump’s endorsement of Whatley Thursday, he referenced Cooper, though not by name. He said, without evidence that the “flood drenched areas” of Western North Carolina were “abandoned” after Hurricane Helene by President Joe Biden and “your governor.”

Cooper was governor when the remnants of the storm caused massive flooding and $59.6 billion of destruction. He visited the region several times in the aftermath, and a month after the storm, proposed a $3.9 billion Helene relief package for the General Assembly to consider. He pushed to expedite federal aid and also visited Washington to request $25.57 billion in federal funds to support North Carolina’s recovery.

Who is Michael Whatley?

Whatley is a native of Watauga County, in the northwestern part of North Carolina. He has been involved in the political world most of his career.

He worked in the Department of Energy during George W. Bush’s administration. He became chief of staff for North Carolina Sen. Elizabeth Dole in 2004.

From there he became vice president of the Consumer Energy Alliance and a lobbyist.

In 2019, Whatley was named chairman of the North Carolina Republican Party, and helped lead Trump to a 2020 victory in the state, despite losing the election to Joe Biden.

Whatley is a staunch supporter of the president and has echoed the false narrative that Trump won the 2020 election.

Whatley led the state party when it censured Burr, a Republican from Winston-Salem, for voting to impeach Trump for his involvement in the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection.

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