Michael Whatley steps down from RNC. His next challenge is for NC to learn his name
Happy Monday! It’s Danielle Battaglia back with the latest edition of Under the Dome focused on the actions of President Donald Trump.
North Carolina’s Michael Whatley stepped down Friday from his post as Republican National Committee chairman to run for U.S. Senate. It’s a decision we knew was coming since his campaign confirmed his candidacy.
In fact, before Whatley even confirmed his Senate run, Trump endorsed Whatley on social media, and announced his pick for Florida state Sen. Joe Gruters to succeed Whatley in leading the Republican Party.
RNC elected Gruters as its new chairman Friday during the party’s summer meeting.
Now, Trump’s handpicked Republican Senate candidate can focus on campaigning.
Whatley is currently running against two other Republicans in the state’s primary to be held on March 3: Don Brown, a former JAG officer, and Brooks Agnew, an author and engineer.
With Trump’s endorsement, the better-known Whatley is expected to win the Republican nomination and go on to face former Gov. Roy Cooper, who is likely to win the Democratic primary.
Pollsters have been asking specifically about a Cooper-Whatley matchup. Polls released since July 31 tend to favor Cooper, including one done by conservative news outlet Carolina Journal.
The first poll, by Victory Insights, had the two men tied, 44-44, among 600 likely voters. The very nuanced results give hope to the Whatley campaign.
Emerson College, though, had Cooper up by 6 points, and he held an 8-point lead in the Carolina Journal poll.
All of the polls determined that Whatley has little name recognition compared to Cooper. That makes sense. Cooper has appeared on North Carolina’s ballots since 1987, and never lost a race. Whatley, though he led both the state and national Republican parties, never ran for office.
It’s still very early in the race. A lot can change rapidly. Whatley has over a year to work on his name ID.
And filing for North Carolina’s election doesn’t begin until Dec. 1, so other candidates may pop up before then.
Other stories from the week:
- Gov. Josh Stein criticized the federal government Wednesday for failing to release the funds Western North Carolina communities need to recover from Hurricane Helene, Briah Lumpkins reports.
- Stein is deploying the National Guard, but not to fight crime in Washington.
- Sen. Thom Tillis announced Wednesday that Raleigh-Durham International Airport will receive a $23 million grant to help build a new runway, Richard Stradling reports.
- Colleges and universities have been a target of President Donald Trump’s second term in office. North Carolina’s higher education institutions have been ramping up lobbying efforts as a result, Korie Dean and Kyle Ingram report.
- Dean and Ingram also break down just how much North Carolina’s colleges and universities are spending on lobbying.
That’s it for now. Be kind to each other. And check back tomorrow for the Under the Dome podcast.
And if you have any feedback or tips for this new edition of the newsletter feel free to reach out to me directly at dbattaglia@mcclatchydc.com.
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This story was originally published August 25, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
