Republican National Committee Chair Michael Whatley is scheduled to announce his bid for a North Carolina Senate seat on Thursday afternoon in his hometown of Gastonia, WRAL News first reported.

The White House confirmed to Newsmax last week that Whatley would run for the seat being vacated by GOP Sen. Thom Tillis, who butted heads with President Donald Trump over the One Big, Beautiful Bill Act and announced he wouldn’t seek reelection in 2026. Whatley’s campaign committee filed with the Federal Elections Commission on Wednesday, according to the report.

With his announcement, Whatley would become the front-runner for the Republican nomination to most likely square off against former two-term North Carolina Democrat Gov. Roy Cooper, who announced his bid earlier this week.

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