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Michael Whatley (right), chair of the Republican National Committee, speaks to reporters as North Carolina GOP chairman Jason Simmons looks on at the NC GOP headquarters in Raleigh on Sept. 14, 2024. (Galen Bacharier/NC Newsline)
RNC chair Michael Whatley will reportedly run for NC Senate seat, setting up matchup vs. Cooper
by Galen Bacharier, NC Newsline
July 24, 2025
Michael Whatley, the chair of the Republican National Committee and former North Carolina GOP leader, is reportedly set to launch a campaign for U.S. Senate — setting up a run against former Gov. Roy Cooper.
Whatley is expected to launch his campaign within the next week and will have the blessing of President Donald Trump, POLITICO first reported Thursday.
Lara Trump, the president’s daughter-in-law who was born in Wilmington and had been mulling a campaign, has reportedly declined to run for the seat currently held by U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis, who is not running for re-election.
Cooper, a Democrat, will reportedly launch a campaign in the coming days.
Both candidates are expected to largely clear the field of any major primary opponents. Whatley, a well-connected leader backed by the president, and Cooper, a prolific fundraiser and high-profile former governor, will both be immediate favorites for their parties’ nominations.
Former U.S. Rep. Wiley Nickel, a Democrat, is also running for the open seat. Republicans Andy Nilsson and Don Brown have also launched campaigns.
Democrats, in statements Thursday, focused on Trump’s declining to run for the seat. Senate Democrats’ campaign arm called it the “latest in a string of embarrassing recruiting failures”; the North Carolina Democratic Party tied Whatley to former Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson and cuts to Medicaid in the Republican-led federal spending bill.
NC Newsline is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. NC Newsline maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Rob Schofield for questions: info@ncnewsline.com.
