Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley is running for North Carolina’s open U.S. Senate seat, entering what’s shaping up to be one of the most competitive and consequential races of the 2026 election cycle.

Michael Whatley, Trump's Republican National Committee co-chairman, has decided to run for Senator Thom Tillis' soon-to-be-vacated seat, according to the Federal Election Commission filing.

CHARLOTTE – Former North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper has announced his plans to run for the state’s open U.S. Senate seat. Cooper announced his candidacy on Monday morning in the open-seat race to succeed Republican Sen. Thom Tillis, who announced late last month that he wouldn’t run for re-election in the 2026 midterm elections.