Republican National Committee Chair Michael Whatley will run for the open GOP-held Senate seat in North Carolina with the blessing of President Donald Trump, according to two sources familiar with the matter confirmed to Fox News. This comes after Lara Trump, the president’s daughter-in-law, decided not to seek the seat. The seat is currently held by Republican Senator Thom Tillis, who announced last month that he would not run for re-election in the 2026 midterms.
Whatley’s candidacy was first reported by Politico on Thursday, with Fox News confirming that former two-term Governor Roy Cooper, a Democrat, is also expected to launch a Senate campaign in North Carolina. Cooper’s announcement could come as early as next week. The showdown in North Carolina is expected to be one of the most competitive and expensive Senate races in the country.
National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) Chair Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina met with Whatley to discuss the North Carolina race, a GOP operative told Fox News. The NRSC had been considering Whatley as a potential replacement for Tillis since January. Whatley, a North Carolina native, had previously served as the state’s GOP chair for five years before becoming RNC chair last March.
President Trump praised Tillis for retiring, calling the decision “great news.” However, Tillis, a long-time GOP critic of Trump, had recently denounced the president’s so-called ‘big, beautiful’ spending bill. With Tillis stepping down, Trump is now the key decision-maker in selecting the next Republican Senate nominee in North Carolina.
Whatley emphasized the importance of the race, stating that it would be “the number one Senate race in the entire country, along with Georgia, due to the media markets, spending, and the need to hold and pick up seats.” He also mentioned potential races in Maine and Michigan as key battlegrounds in the upcoming midterms. The Republicans currently hold a 53-47 majority in the Senate.