RNC Chair Whatley to run for North Carolina Senate seat with Trump’s support

Republican National Committee (RNC) Chair Michael Whatley is planning to run for Senate in North Carolina to succeed retiring Sen. Thom Tillis (R), a source familiar confirmed to The Hill. 

The source said Whatley will run with President Trump’s blessing for the seat, confirming Politico, which first reported the news. The development comes after former RNC co-Chair Lara Trump, the president’s daughter-in-law, was openly considering a bid for the seat. Politico reported she has decided against a run.

Whatley’s candidacy tees up one of the marquee Senate races of the midterms, as former Gov. Roy Cooper (D) reportedly plans to jump in next week. Cook Political Report currently rates the seat as a “toss-up.”

Two people familiar with the decision told Politico that President Trump believes Whatley is in a strong position to face Cooper, a popular former two-term governor seen as Democrats’ best chance of winning the seat. They said Lara Trump will declare her support for Whatley and will appear with him soon, with a public announcement coming in the next week to 10 days.

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