Republicans pull funding of Trump-backed Senate candidate in critical North Carolina race

A major Republican political action committee pulled the plug on financial support for its Senate candidate in North Carolina, Michael Whatley, according to multiple reports, as the party begins to triage resources amid increasingly dire midterm polling.

The Senate Leadership Fund (SLF), the campaign arm of the Senate majority leader, John Thune, has withdrawn its ad spending in North Carolina to redirect support to other candidates, Semafor reported on Friday. The New York Times, CNN and other publications have confirmed the report with sources close to the fund.

The retirement of Thom Tillis from the US Senate opened the door for Democrats to flip the seat. Former governor Roy Cooper, a venerable presence in the state’s politics, easily won the Democratic nomination. Whatley, a former chair of the Republican National Committee, was handpicked by Donald Trump and viewed as a more mainstream candidate than other Republican contenders in the closely contested state.

The SLF had pledged $71m to hold North Carolina’s US Senate seat, and started targeting Cooper before he even won the nomination. The fund ran ads last year trying to link Cooper with the murder of Iryna Zarutska, a 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee, in an unprovoked attack onboard a light-rail train in Charlotte. Cooper was not in office at the time of the attack.

The Pac’s advertising in North Carolina has consistently focused on crime and public safety, featuring a series of interviews with crime victims. Ronald Hayes, whose son Shemar was murdered in 2024, appeared in one such ad. Hayes later said he had been “swindled” by the SLF, believing he was going to appear in an advertisement against gun violence and not a political campaign ad.

The SLF had planned to spend $30m more supporting Whatley. But polling data presents an increasingly difficult political map for Republicans trying to hold control of the Senate. Republicans have a 53-47 majority today. With the vice-president, JD Vance, as a tiebreaker, Republicans can afford to lose no more than three seats to keep control.

The Cook Political Report rates the North Carolina Senate race as “leans Democratic”. Seven other races are toss-ups; five are currently held by Republicans, including seats in Alaska, Iowa, Maine, Ohio and Texas. Roger Marshall, the senator from Kansas, is facing a stiff challenge from Adam Hamilton, a Methodist pastor. Cook rates the race as “leans Republican”.

The SLF reportedly will redirect its North Carolina spending to support Marshall.

Cooper has persistently maintained a polling lead over Whatley despite the deluge of political ads. An AARP poll released on Monday gave Cooper an 11-point lead, consistent with other recent polls. Cooper has never had less than a four-point lead on Whatley in any poll this year.

In-person early voting starts on 15 October in North Carolina.