The decision sets the stage for what is likely to be a heavyweight battle between a behind-the-scenes political insider and a former governor with a knack for winning unaffiliated voters.

Sen. Elizabeth Dole, a Republican who represented North Carolina in Congress, also never had run for public office before being elected in 2002. Whatley served as her chief-of-staff, for one of her six years in the chamber.

A new poll of the North Carolina Senate election points to a close race between former Governor Roy Cooper and Republican National Committee chair Michael Whatley in what is likely to be one of the most competitive of the 2026 midterms. Matt Mercer, a North Carolina GOP spokesperson, told Newsweek that the poll should be "alarming for Democrats ."