US Senate endorsement: For NC voters in GOP primary, who can hold off Cooper?

Few races will be more contentious this year than the race for the open U.S. Senate seat in North Carolina.

Democrats appear to have their candidate in former Gov. Roy Cooper, who technically has opponents but none serious enough to derail his path to the party’s nomination. For that reason, we are not endorsing in that race, as we typically do not make endorsements in uncompetitive races.

On the Republican side, however, there’s a glimmer of competition. When U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis announced his retirement last year, President Donald Trump quickly anointed Michael Whatley as his chosen successor. Whatley, former chairman of the North Carolina Republican Party and co-chair of the Republican National Committee, has had a long career in politics but has never run for office.

Whatley is the clear front-runner, but not everyone is on board with his candidacy. He faces several challengers, and two stand out: Don Brown, an attorney and former prosecutor, and Michele Morrow, the right-winger who unsuccessfully ran for state superintendent of public education in 2024.

We hold starkly different views from all three of these candidates on most issues, including important ones in this election such as immigration enforcement. But if you’re a Republican voter, the biggest issue in this race is electability. Who can beat Roy Cooper, a popular former governor who has never lost a statewide election?

Republicans can’t risk choosing Brown, whose inexperience, lack of name recognition and lack of supporting party apparatus will be a hindrance even if his populist rhetoric resonates with the Republican base. Republicans need someone whose political chops can rival Cooper’s own.

They certainly can’t afford to nominate Morrow, whose extremist views have already cost them one statewide election and would likely backfire on them again in November. Even if she were to try to clean up her act, Morrow’s long history of shameful remarks can too easily be used against her. Just ask former Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson what it’s like to run as a flawed candidate against one of the most popular politicians in the state.

Whatley has, thus far, been an uninspiring candidate for Republicans, and the decision to so quickly push him into the race may age poorly. There were better candidates for the job who had more name recognition and experience in public office. But what he does have is a fundraising advantage and institutional support, each of which is critical in a race that’s widely expected to be the most expensive in the country.

Whatley also knows how to run a successful campaign, even if he’s never been a candidate himself. His campaign is already high-functioning, and the transition from primary to general election would be seamless. Even with his embrace of Trump, he comes across as the most “moderate” candidate, and largely avoids making statements that could alienate more independent voters.

To be clear, we have little faith that any of them would choose the people of North Carolina over the president. But voters who want a Republican to replace Thom Tillis have only one choice, and that is clearly Whatley.