Conservative super PAC backs Whatley as ‘real world’ Senate candidate in new ad
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Americans for Prosperity Action launched a high six-figure digital ad backing Whatley.
- Whatley, Trump-backed former NC GOP chair, lacks prior elected office experience.
- AFP pledges continued funding as Whatley and Cooper file for the 2026 Senate race.
The midterms are nearly a year away, but a conservative national super PAC has already entered North Carolina’s U.S. Senate race, launching one of the election’s first ads in support of Republican Michael Whatley.
Whatley, if he wins a Republican primary in March, would likely face Democratic former Gov. Roy Cooper in November.
“Michael Whatley is not D.C.,” the ad, paid for by Americans for Prosperity Action, says. “His family faces the same problems we all do. Whatley’s new, he’s real world — and Whatley’s not afraid to shake things up.”
The ad, which AFP Action said cost in the “high six-figures,” began running on digital and streaming platforms last week.
Whatley, a former lobbyist for oil and natural gas corporations, has never held elected political office.
He did, however, serve as chair of the North Carolina Republican Party for nearly five years before becoming President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Republican National Committee last year.
Trump has also endorsed Whatley’s Senate campaign — an announcement which came after his daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, said she would not pursue the seat.
AFP Action, which in 2023 launched an ad urging North Carolina Republicans to vote against Trump in the primary, does not mention the president in its recent ad.
Whatley’s campaign, however, has emphasized his connections to the president, with one ad saying he is “fighting alongside President Trump.”
AFP Action’s ad comes just as Whatley and Cooper make their senatorial campaigns official, having filed their candidacies with the state last week.
Democrat Daryl Farrow and Republicans Don Brown and Elizabeth Temple are also running.
With Trump’s approval ratings on a low streak, Democrats are optimistic about the 2026 midterms — hoping that Cooper can flip a seat held by Republicans for over a decade.
But AFP Action Senior Advisor Tyler Voigt said he’s confident the state isn’t going to buck the trend.
“Even through national ebbs and flows, North Carolina has historically been a conservative state — especially when it comes to electing United States senators,” he said. “... So I think Michael Whatley is sitting in a really prime position for this race.”
Voigt said AFP Action, which has frequently gotten involved in North Carolina elections, plans to continue investing in the Senate race throughout the campaign.
This story was originally published December 8, 2025 at 2:07 PM.
