Michael Whatley
RFormer Chair, Republican National Committee
Won the March 3, 2026 Republican primary with 64.6% of the vote.
Michael Whatley is the Republican nominee for the open North Carolina U.S. Senate seat. He is the former chair of the Republican National Committee and previously chaired the North Carolina Republican Party. He is campaigning on public safety and support for President Trump's agenda.[1]
Basic profile — the most important sourced facts we found.
Positions on the issues
- SupportsIncrease police funding and staffing
Says he wants policies that put more police officers on the street, pay them better, and put what he calls dangerous criminals behind bars.[1]
“We need policies that are going to put more cops on the street, that are going to pay them better, and we need policies that are going to put dangerous criminals behind bars, not back on our streets.”
In their words — priorities
Background
- Earned a bachelor's degree in history from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte in 1991, a master's degree in religion from Wake Forest University in 1993, a master's degree in theology from the University of Notre Dame in 1994, and a law degree from Notre Dame Law School in 1997.[1]
- Worked as a legal assistant for Sen. Paul Coverdell (R-Ga.) and as an energy business executive.[1]
- Served as chair of the North Carolina Republican Party.[1]
- Served as chair of the Republican National Committee.[1]
Campaign money
Raised $11.3M · spent $7.8M · $3.5M cash on hand (through 2026-06-30) FEC filing ↗