Michael Whatley Is Throwing Out the Tillis Playbook in North Carolina

Republicans are coalescing around Whatley, who is running in one of the most competitive Senate races by aligning himself closely to the president.

Michael Whatley speaks at a campaign rally.
Alex Brandon/AP

Michael Whatley, the former chair of the Republican National Committee, is happy to campaign on Republicans’ reconciliation bill. That’s a departure from the retiring Republican senator he’s running to replace, who saw it as a political liability.

And it’s just one of several ways that Whatley, the candidate Republicans have coalesced around, is embracing the MAGA agenda. While that political strategy carries a level of risk in a battleground state like North Carolina, in an interview with NOTUS, Whatley said he has little concern, citing President Donald Trump’s past success in the state.

“People forget President Trump carried North Carolina three times. It is the only one of the seven battleground states that he won all three times,” Whatley said. “And so having his support, as his endorsed candidate, with his complete, total endorsement, is really, truly important, not just in the primary but also in the general.”