N.C.’s Senate Race Starts Now (Officially)

CHARLOTTE — Last July, an Emerson College poll found two-thirds of North Carolinians had “never heard of” Michael Whatley. 

Between now and November, his name is likely to be one of the two most uttered in the state as he competes in what could be the most expensive U.S. Senate race in history.

Whatley, the former co-chair of the Republican National Committee and chair of the N.C. GOP, came out atop a field of six on Tuesday to secure his party’s nomination for the Senate seat that Republican Thom Tillis currently holds. Whatley will face Democratic former Gov. Roy Cooper, a name basically everyone in the state already knows.

Tuesday’s results, which are considered unofficial until they are certified by election officials, solidify a matchup that had been widely anticipated since Tillis announced last summer he would not seek reelection. 

Cooper—who had a 51% favorability rating in that same Emerson poll—has been a state-wide elected official for decades, serving as attorney general for four terms before his two as governor. Before that, he was a state legislator. The Nash County native hasn’t lost an election in nearly 40 years. At a party for the state Democratic Party Tuesday night, he said he was “humbled and excited” to secure the party’s nomination.

The Senate Majority PAC, which aims to build a Democratic majority in the U.S. Senate, called Cooper a “proven governor” and said “North Carolina Republicans should be nervous” with his win Tuesday. 

Whatley, meanwhile, has never held elected office. But he is no stranger to politics. 

An attorney, he worked for George W. Bush’s Florida recount team in 2000 and served as deputy assistant secretary in the Department of Energy before becoming chief of staff for former North Carolina Sen. Elizabeth Dole in 2004. He served as chair of the North Carolina Republican Party from 2019 to 2024, a tenure that saw Donald Trump win the state in 2020. He was tapped to serve as the RNC’s lawyer in 2023 before Trump handpicked him to co-chair the group in 2024.

Whatley quickly secured Trump’s endorsement for the Senate primary, which boosted his standing in Tuesday’s crowded field—though the win didn’t come without challenges. Two of his opponents, Don Brown and Michele Morrow, had argued that Whatley would not be a strong candidate against Cooper. Brown, a former JAG officer and federal prosecutor who has represented several people who were at the riot in the U.S. Capital on January 6, 2021, was in second place soon after polls closed Tuesday night. Morrow, who surprised many by defeating the incumbent state superintendent in the 2024 primary, was fourth.

Whatley’s general election bid could offer a temperature check on how voters feel about Trump two years into his second term. The critical midterm election will also determine which party controls Congress, where Republicans currently hold a majority in both chambers. 

“I want to thank President Donald J. Trump for his strong and unwavering support in this race,” Whatley said at his campaign party in Charlotte. “His leadership has changed our country, and I am proud to stand with him in the fight to secure our border, to strengthen our economy, and put America first.”

Money and Midterms

Also boosting Whatley ahead of the primary: the early backing from his former national-party allies. RNC rules typically require it to stay neutral in contested primaries, but it exercised an exception to put its resources behind Whatley. 

Campaign fundraising and spending is already driving competition in the general election. Cooper has an early edge, already raising nearly $18 million in 2025 to Whatley’s $5 million. Political experts told WUNC last year that the race is certain to cost more than the $200 million that has become typical for U.S. Senate races in North Carolina, with one suggesting the total spent on this race could be as high as $500 million.

But the issues of the day will also drive the campaign, including immigration, crime, the economy, new wars abroad, and recovery from Hurricane Helene here at home. The latter could test Whatley, whom Trump appointed as “recovery czar” following the devastating storm. Voters on both sides of the aisle say they are frustrated by the federal government’s response to the disaster. But that could also cut both ways; Cooper was governor when the storm hit, and Whatley’s first campaign ad said he “failed to show up.”

The Senate Majority PAC praised Cooper’s tenure as governor, highlighting efforts to expand health care access, eliminate medical debt, and create jobs.

In more recent events, Republicans—including Whatley—have tried to blame Cooper for the fatal stabbing of Ukrainian immigrant Iryna Zarutska on a light-rail train in Charlotte last year, claiming that he released her assailant DeCarlos Brown from prison early. But Brown served his full sentence, The Assembly has reported. 

Whatley’s campaign continued the rhetoric Tuesday, invoking Brown in the invitation sent to press for their results watch party in Charlotte. The campaign also provided supporters with signs that read “Cooper for Criminals.”

“Roy Cooper sided with criminals, and North Carolina communities have paid the price,” Whatley said. “I stand with North Carolina families, and I will always back the blue.”

For his part, Cooper has attempted to focus the race on affordability, promising to “make stuff cost less.” He promised supporters Tuesday that he would fight the “chaos” in Washington.

“We know we’ve got our work here and it’s just beginning,” Cooper said. “We’ve got a long way to go until November.” 

Jasmine Gallup contributed reporting from Raleigh.