President Donald Trump endorsed Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley to run for the open U.S. Senate seat in North Carolina.
Politico first reported on July 24 that Whatley was planning to enter the race for Senator Thom Tillis’ seat, one of the most widely anticipated in next year's midterm elections.
Tillis, a longtime Republican foe of Trump in the Senate, announced in June he would not run for reelection after the president promised to primary him.
The key endorsement from President Trump is expected to give Whatley a solid advantage for the 2026 primary election.
Whatley’s entry into race comes after Lara Trump, the president's daughter-in-law who is also a native of the state, declined to run.
The former NCGOP chairman from 2019 to 2023, Whatley, who is from Watauga County, North Carolina, was tapped in 2024 to co-chair the national party with Lara Trump.
Whatley first started his political career as a high school volunteer for Republican Senator Jesse Helms’ 1984 re-election, before graduating from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, followed by a master’s in religion from Wake Forest University, and a JD with a master’s in theology at the University of Notre Dame.
He then later served as a federal law clerk, a legal advisor for George W. Bush's 2000 campaign, U.S. Department of Energy deputy assistant secretary, and chief of staff for U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole of North Carolina.
The RNC chair would later work as an energy lobbyist before joining Trump's 2016 presidential campaign.
"To the Great People of North Carolina, one of the most capable executives in our Country successfully ran, along with Lara Trump, the Republican National Committee," Trump posted on Truth Social.
“I have a mission for my friends in North Carolina, and that is to get Michael Whatley to run for the U.S. Senate," wrote Trump.
“He is STRONG on the Border, stopping Crime, supporting our Military/Veterans, cutting Taxes, and saving our always under siege Second Amendment. I need him in Washington, and I need him representing YOU!," the president added.
According to sources close to the White House, President Trump believes that Whatley has a good shot to defeat former Democrat North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, who announced his candidacy on July 28.
Cooper, who served two terms governor from 2017 to 2025, was also the chairman of the national Democratic Governors Association from 2021 to 2022.
North Carolina is a state that normally favors Republicans, but Democrats think they can win the Senate seat in 2026, due to his winning record in the state.
Cooper unseated the Republican incumbent governor, Pat McCrory, and had previously served nearly four terms as state attorney general.
Meanwhile, Trump has endorsed Florida state Senator Joe Gruters, a former Florida Republican Party chair and treasurer of the Republican National Committee since 2025, to replace Whatley at the RNC.
Trump posted on Truth Social that Gruters "will have my Complete and Total Endorsement. So, should Michael Whatley run for the Senate, please let this notification represent my Complete and Total Endorsement. HE WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN,"
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