Party organizations greenlight interference in NC US Senate primary | Eastern NC Now

North Carolina Republican voters will decide a Senate primary next year between staunch conservative attorney, former federal prosecutor and former JAG officer Don Brown and a longtime denizen of the Washington, DC swamp, Michael Whatley, a former partner in a Washington, DC lobbying and public relations firm that served the special interests.  The rules of the North Carolina Republican Party clearly state that the party and its officers are supposed to stay out of primaries. They are for voters to decide, not party muckedy-mucks.

But that is not happening.  The establishment clones running a number of party organizations are putting their thumbs on the scales in the primary for swamp rat Whatley.  Republican National Committee (RNC) rules also say the party organization is supposed to stay out of primaries, but it has an exception.  If the state party chairman, national committeeman, and national committeewoman agree, they are allowed to back a candidate before the primary.  It is called Rule 11.  The problem is that in North Carolina, those three officials would have to violate state party rules in order to allow RNC to stick its nose into the primary.

Swamp rat Whatley had an ace up his sleeve in getting party officials to thumb their noses at the rules and interfere in the primary.  The current state party chairman was handpicked by Whatley who muscled him into that position when Whatley himself resigned it.  He owes Whatley.  Big time.

NCGOP Chairman Jason Simmons secured the approval of the two national committee reps to get the RNC involved in the race, treating Whatley as if he is already the nominee.  He also got the NCGOP publicly involved in a "Whatley Victory Committee" that sends a signal that the party is behind Whatley.

Then there is the National Republican Senatorial Committee, an organization that has long been notorious for interfering in primaries on behalf of establishment candidates, and too often abandons conservative candidates who win the primaries when it comes general election time.  Of course, they would be expected to be behind swamp rat Whatley.

So where does this leave conservative voters?  Hopefully, it will leave them more determined to double down and get Don Brown nominated in spite of the rotten pile on by the big boys of the insider cartel.  But what if Whatley gets the nomination?  The thought of Roy Cooper as a senator is just appalling.  Most of us, in the final analysis would hold our nose and vote for Whatley, as most of us did for the useless Thom Tillis.  The problem is, that there is no way that there would be any level of enthusiasm for Whatley, and that may well hurt turnout of conservative voters.

https://dailyhaymaker.com/gope-abandons-the-big-lie-confesses-they-are-really-all-in-for-whatley/

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2026-election/rnc-moves-give-early-backing-former-chair-running-key-senate-race-rcna229160