Michael Whatley, a North Carolina native, is leaving his role as chairman of the Republican National Committee to run for Senate. He previously led the state’s Republican Party before Trump picked him to lead the national committee in 2024.

Michael Whatley, chairman of the national Republican Party, plans to run for an open Senate seat in North Carolina in 2026, with the blessing of President Donald Trump, after Trump’s daughter-in-law,

President Donald Trump has picked the candidate he’s supporting to fill North Carolina’s open Senate seat in the 2026 election: Michael Whatley. Whatley is a North Carolina native who served as head of the state’s Republican Party before Trump selected him in 2024 as chairman of the Republican National Committee.