Michael Whatley is crisscrossing North Carolina, visiting every county as he runs for the open U.S. Senate seat against former governor Roy Cooper, leaning on conservative themes like strong borders, a robust economy, and public safety while highlighting support from President Trump and law enforcement operations targeting criminal illegal aliens.
Whatley, who served as Republican National Committee chairman, has put a full-court press on the state after two tough election cycles for the GOP. He is campaigning to replace a two-term Republican senator who chose not to run again, and his message is built around rebuilding Republican strength in North Carolina.
The campaign has been intensely mobile, with Whatley promising to show up in towns big and small across all 100 counties. He was at a rally in Rocky Mount alongside President Trump and then headed to events in the West, signaling a blend of grassroots town-hall outreach and national-level endorsements.
He told supporters the reception on the road has been “absolutely fantastic,” and he keeps stressing that visiting every community matters in a geographically large and diverse state. North Carolina voters, he argues, want to see candidates who pay attention to local needs, not just talk from distant headquarters.
“The conservative movement is very, very strong, and we’ve got a lot of champions right now, especially when you compare us to what the Democrats are doing,” he said. That is the center of his pitch: point to conservative wins and offer a contrast with what he calls Democratic missteps.
“You know, we won when we focused on the issues that the American people cared about, right? President Trump said he was going to rebuild our economy, restore our borders, and make sure America is respected again around the world.” Whatley uses that line to tie national GOP priorities to state-level concerns and to remind voters of recent Republican policy goals.
“The Democrats ran exactly the opposite: Inflationary spending, open borders, and a weak America. So we feel very good about where we are as a conservative movement. And we feel very good about our ability to win these elections as long as we’re going to be focused on what the voters care about.” That contrast is his north star: economic stewardship, border security, and national strength.
On the economy and daily life, Whatley says the campaign is straightforward: focus on jobs, wages, and prices so families feel better off. “We’ve got an agenda that is focused on creating jobs and raising wages and lowering prices. We need to focus on keeping our kids and our communities safe,” he said, and he repeats that safety is central to earning trust at the ballot box.
“And we need to make sure that our men and women in uniform based in North Carolina around the country have what they need to protect our interests and allies around the world.” The candidate is tying defense readiness and troop support to broader messaging about American strength and respect on the global stage.
Immigration enforcement is a campaign priority, and Whatley has publicly backed ICE operations aimed at criminal illegal aliens in Charlotte and surrounding areas. He frames those efforts as essential to restoring safety to neighborhoods and helping local law enforcement do their jobs effectively.
“We have many, many violent criminal illegal aliens in North Carolina. Many of them get arrested We had legislation that was passed by the North Carolina General Assembly to require sheriffs to honor the ICE detainers and move those criminals out,” he said. Whatley points to state-level policy moves as proof that Republican ideas are being advanced on the ground.
“I’m very glad that President Trump was there to make sure that we’re getting these types of violent criminal illegal aliens off of the streets.” That endorsement and the on-the-ground work form the backbone of Whatley’s pitch: show up, secure communities, and sell a conservative agenda tied to immediate voter concerns.
