Tag Archives: 2026 North Carolina Senate Race

Behind The Scenes In North Carolina Republican Politics

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There is a Senate race in North Carolina. There is also an interesting U.S. House of Representatives race in recently redistricted District 1. It is possible with the redistricting that District 1 will be represented by a Republican after 2026. There are a number of Republicans getting into the race.

First, the Senate race. President Trump’s candidate is Michael Whatley. My candidate is Don Brown. I believe Don Brown will represent North Carolina. I believe that Michael Whatley will represent Washington, D.C. Michael Whatley is a little too close to the Washington establishment for my taste. I am looking for someone who will represent North Carolina and will not be afraid to take a stand that benefits North Carolina. Don Brown is a former military Judge Advocate General. He thinks like a lawyer and knows how to debate and make his points.

In the First District House of Representatives race, President Trump’s candidate is Laurie Buckhout. Again, I support President Trump, but I totally disagree with him on this choice.

On Thursday, The Daily Haymaker noted:

Conservative Republican Congressional candidate and Carteret County Sheriff Asa Buck was true to his direct approach when commenting on the announcement that Laurie Buckhout, the loser in the 2024 1st Congressional District election, was entering the race for the 2026 Republican nomination.  

“They say the definition of insanity is repeating the same losing formula again and expecting a different result, and the loser of the last election saying she’s the best choice this time is insane. But Laurie Buckhout’s behavior over the past few weeks may be the new definition of insanity. Her strange behavior in an attempt to manipulate the Republican Primary is puzzling.   She believes running for Congress is Big Business and cares more about special interest money than the people of Eastern North Carolina. That’s why she has earned the name Laurie Sellout.”

The article also notes:

The day following Buckhout’s second phone call, Buck discovered that Buckhout had called another candidate in the Republican Primary, State Senator Bobby Hanig, and told him the White House was encouraging her to run, and if he would drop out of the race, she would make him her Chief of  Staff in Washington.

 “She went from telling me she had health issues and didn’t want to run, to the next day saying she was running and offering somebody a position in her mythical Congressional office if they would drop out of the race.  I was astounded,” Buck said.

Asa Buck and Bobby Hanig are both good candidates and both would do a good job. I tend to favor Bobby Hanig because he was the fighter who made the difference in ShrimpGate. He and three other North Carolina Senators (and many Republicans in the North Carolina House of Representatives) fought against a law that would have ended the shrimping industry in North Carolina. He would be a fighter in Congress.

The North Carolina Senate Race

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I love President Trump, but I am not convinced he truly understands North Carolina politics. He has thrown his support behind Michael Whatley in the 2026 North Carolina Senate race. I firmly believe that choice does not line up with the wishes of the average Republican in North Carolina. There is another Republican candidate in the race that I believe would better represent the views of the average North Carolinian–Don Brown.

On Monday, The Daily Haymaker reported:

A lot of folks are fast-forwarding this US Senate campaign to November 2026. Many folks are saying: “Hey, Whatley is the man.  Trump has blessed him. Bring on Cooper.”

Lest we forget that there is a Republican primary in March.  Mike Whatley – a native of Watauga County and current resident of Gaston County – will face off against Washington County native and current Union County resident Don Brown. 

Michael Whatley has been groomed and well-taken care of by the Thom Tillis political operation and the rest of the NCGOPe.  He managed to get himself hired as the General Counsel of The Republican National Committee despite having an inactive law license for over six years. 

Meanwhile, Whatley’s opponent in the March primary, Don Brown, has been putting his law license to good use. The UNC-Chapel Hill and Campbell Law grad served as an active-duty member of the Navy’s JAG Corps – made famous by a long-running hit TV show. Brown also served as a special assistant US attorney before moving on to work for Raleigh’s Maupin Taylor Ellis & Adams.  (Firm partner Tom Ellis gained fame as a senior adviser to the late US Senator Jesse Helms.)

Michael Whatley is part of the political machine that gave us Thom Tillis. He is President Trump’s choice, but President Trump will only be in office for three more years. I would rather have a Senator that represents the grass roots than one who is appointed by someone who does not live in the state.

A Wolf In Sheep’s Clothing

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The 2026 North Carolina Senate race is going to be expensive, dirty, full of lies, and contentious. Other than that, it will be great. Among other things, the North Carolina Republican Party wants to make sure that former Governor Roy Cooper runs on his record. That record is questionable at best–he is not the moderate he claims to be.

On Sunday, The Gateway Pundit reported:

A video from the North Carolina Republican Party is shedding light on the troubling tenure of outgoing Governor Roy Cooper, who recently announced his candidacy for the U.S. Senate, exposing a record of radical policies and governance failures that have left the state grappling with economic and social issues.

Titled “Radical Roy Cooper’s Real Record,” the ad, posted on YouTube, highlights Cooper’s eight years in office, revealing him to be a far-left nutjob whose decisions have undermined North Carolina’s prosperity and safety.

Cooper is running for the Senate seat being vacated by Republican Sen. Thom Tillis, who has announced that he will not seek reelection.

The video outlines several key criticisms of Cooper’s administration.

“He says he’s a moderate, but Roy Cooper’s record tells a radically different story,” the narrator begins.

The article concludes:

Additionally, the video addresses Cooper’s opposition to law enforcement, citing his resistance to supporting Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which some attribute to a spike in crime rates across the state.

President Donald Trump has already endorsed Republican National Committee chair Michael Whatley in the race, though he has not officially announced his candidacy.

I believe that Michael Whatley has announced. Attorney Don Brown has also announced that he is running for Thom Tillis’ Senate Seat as a Republican.