Election 2026: Whatley gets another breath of Trump tailwind

By Alan Wooten
The Center Square

Needing a lift as polls favor his opponent, Republican Michael Whatley on Tuesday got another breath of tailwind from the White House.

Candidates endorsed by second-term Republican President Donald Trump had strong performances on another primary Election Day. Whatley, bidding to succeed Thom Tillis as a North Carolina representative in the U.S. Senate with a sixth consecutive victory for his party there, has universally trailed popular Democrat Roy Cooper in polls to date.

Absentee ballots go into the mail 15 weeks from Friday.

The Center Square was unsuccessful prior to publication getting comment from Whatley on how Trump’s endorsement success this spring might advance his prospects, and whether it translates to races against Democrats staunchly opposed to the president.

Billed as potentially the most expensive Senate campaign in history, Cooper joined the quest as a two-term former governor and four-term former attorney general in the state. The biggest knock against him to date is crime, Republicans saying he is soft while he says he protects the state’s residents.

But crime, despite all the criticisms tied to Cooper, in the Carolina Journal poll released last week taken May 10-11 runs No. 9 in top issues behind inflation and cost of living; economy and jobs; Social Security and Medicare; taxes and spending; healthcare; immigration; education; and national security.

Yet in the Carolina Forward poll released Monday taken May 4-8, 13 issues were listed with a choice of which party is more trusted on it and Republicans’ best was crime – 48% trusting the GOP to only 28% trusting Democrats.

The other dozen issues were growing the economy; fighting corruption; cost of living; education; environmental protection; healthcare; immigration; energy policy; housing affordability; state budget; roads and infrastructure; and voting and elections.

That Whatley brings the endorsement of Trump against Cooper is no news flash, and he didn’t need it – even though he had it – in the primary on March 3. Since then, Trump endorsements have roared through primaries.

Ed Gallrein unseated U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., in the headliner Tuesday. Less powerful evidence was Rep. Barry Moore in Alabama unable to clear the field and headed to a runoff in a Senate race.

In Georgia, Trump’s pick of Lt. Gov. Burt Jones in another crowded field reached a runoff in the gubernatorial race where Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and Attorney General Chris Carr – Trump isn’t a fan of either after the 2020 election – were not close.

Sen. Dr. Bill Cassidy, R-La., another with a wanted ouster by the president, was unseated in a Saturday primary. Rep. Andy Barr, R-Ky., essentially got a Tuesday primary win for the U.S. Senate when Trump on May 1 asked Nate Morris to end his campaign and be an ambassador in the administration.

Next up will be Texas, where Trump picked Attorney General Ken Paxton in the primary runoff against incumbent Sen. John Cornyn.

Libertarian Shannon Bray of Angier is on the ballot with Whatley and Cooper in the general election.

Republicans in statewide races for this decade – 2020, 2022 and 2024 – are 32-10 against Democrats, a party with significantly declining voter registrations for more than 20 consecutive years.

Republicans are 5-for-5 in U.S. Senate races since losing to the late Kay Hagan in 2008. Democrats chase back to 1998 for the last time winning a Senate seat at the midterms.