Who is Michael Whatley and what is Whatley running on in the 2026 North Carolina Senate race?
Michael Whatley (R) is a long shot in the 2026 North Carolina Senate race, with about a 9% chance of winning, according to Kalshi on Sept 9.
Answer from Mary's digital twin. Checkmark turns Green once she confirms it.
Michael Whatley is the Republican candidate for North Carolina U.S. Senate. Former Republican National Committee chair and former North Carolina GOP chair; Trump-aligned Republican nominee. Election Day is Tuesday, November 3, 2026.
The race
Chance of winning: Kalshi, Sept 9
- The seat: Open seat (Republican Thom Tillis retiring).
- Polling: Cooper 49, Whatley 34, Bray (L) 3, Dublin (G) 2 (Harper Polling for Carolina Journal, Sept 13 to 15, 2026, 608 LV); DDHQ average Cooper 50.5, Whatley 41.8.
Why Whatley is behind
- Cooper is a two-term former governor with far higher name recognition and favorability; only 26% view Whatley favorably and 18% have never heard of him.
- Trump approval in NC is underwater (41% approve / 57% disapprove among likely voters) and Whatley is seen by 74% as likely to back Trump’s priorities.
- Cooper has a large money edge: about $35.0M raised vs Whatley’s $11.3M through July 2026 FEC filings.
- Cooper leads among independents (46 to 23 in Catawba-YouGov, March 2026) while Whatley’s GOP support has slipped from 81% to 74% with Republicans drifting to undecided.
What Whatley is running on
- Trade / tariffs. Backs a ‘North Carolina-first’ trade policy: targeted tariffs that help NC manufacturers, while acknowledging some tariffs raise input costs.
- Taxes. Opposes what he calls Cooper’s higher-tax proposals.
- Regulation. Wants to reduce regulatory burdens on businesses; endorsed by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce (Sept 25, 2026).
- Ethics / stock trading. Supports requiring members of Congress to sell individual stocks or put them in qualified blind trusts.
- Crime / immigration. Attacks Cooper as soft on crime, saying Cooper ‘fought harder for criminals and illegal aliens than his own constituents.’.
In Whatley’s own words
“We need trade policies that are going to help North Carolina companies, manufacturers, small businesses.”
“common sense versus crazy”
The other candidates
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