Whatley polling like Tillis in US Senate race against Cooper | Eastern North Carolina Now | Eastern NC Now | ENC Now | ENCNow | ENCN

North Carolina has a critical US Senate race in 2026 in which the Democrat nominee is likely to be liberal former Governor Roy Cooper.  Cooper would be a disaster as a US Senator.

Liberal Republican incumbent Senator Thom Tillis (RINO-NC) withdrew from the race.  At the time he withdrew, Tillis was polling 9 points behind Cooper, but polls showed a generic Republican tied with Cooper.  That should have given Republicans an opening to keep the seat.

However, insiders in the party in Raleigh and DC have tried to strongarm Tillis' protege Michael Whatley, a longtime partner in a Washington beltway lobbying and public relations firm that serves the special interests, into the nomination.  Three polls taken since Whatley entered the race show him running only a point or  two ahead of where Tillis stood, and well short of where a "generic Republican" polled against Cooper.

Republicans do have another choice in the primary, former JAG officer and Constitutional lawyer Don Brown, a solid conservative, not tainted with association with Tillis.  A candidate who was running against Tillis but has now dropped out, Andy Nillson, has described Don Brown as "a good man" and called Whatley's candidacy "flawed" noting Whatley background as a DC lobbyist.

https://dailyhaymaker.com/poll-time-cooper-over-whatley-by-seven/