RNC chair expected to run for Senate in North Carolina as Lara Trump opts out

Republican National Committee Chair Michael Whatley intends to run for Senate in North Carolina, a source familiar with the matter told NBC News.

The source said that President Donald Trump’s daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, has decided not to run, and Whatley would have the White House’s full support.

Whatley’s expected run comes after Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., unexpectedly announced late last month that he would not seek re-election, making the race to fill the seat one to watch in the 2026 midterms.

The RNC chair’s decision was first reported by Politico. An RNC spokesperson did not immediately provide a comment.

NBC News previously reported that former Gov. Roy Cooper, a Democrat, also plans to launch a Senate campaign. Whatley and Cooper are expected to be the top contenders in the high-stakes race in the battleground state.

Lara Trump had also been considering a run, and she told NBC News last week that she was hoping to make a decision by Thanksgiving. Her spokesperson declined to comment after reports of Whatley’s expected run.

Whatley had met with National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman Tim Scott about a potential Senate run in North Carolina, and the NRSC had been floating Whatley as a possible replacement for Tillis since January, according to a GOP operative.

Whatley took the helm of the RNC last year after Trump endorsed him as the chair and Lara Trump as a co-chair. She stepped down in December and hosts a Fox News show.

Before his tenure at the RNC, Whatley served as the chair of the North Carolina Republican Party.

Trump has previously heaped praise on Whatley, saying in his RNC endorsement that he is a friend who “has been with me from the beginning, has done a great job in his home state of North Carolina.”

The president also said earlier this month that his daughter-in-law would be his “first choice” to fill Tillis’ seat. While she doesn’t live in the state, he said, “she’s there all the time, her parents are there. You know, she really knows North Carolina well.”

A Republican strategist close to the president suggested to NBC News earlier this month that Whatley would run, rather than Lara Trump.

“Whatley’s got the national fundraising profile, and the president already likes and trusts him,” the source said.

That same week, a separate high-ranking GOP strategist told NBC News, “I wouldn’t spend a lot of time thinking about” a Lara Trump run.

North Carolina was a top 2024 battleground state, which Trump ultimately won with just over 50% of the vote.