Whatley Pulls Ads as GOP PACs Shift Focus
Republican Senate nominee Michael Whatley pauses TV ads as GOP PACs reallocate funds.
2 min read
Republican North Carolina Senate nominee Michael Whatley’s campaign temporarily pulled television advertisements Wednesday, according to The Raleigh News & Observer. The decision came as the campaign reevaluated its strategy amid reduced funding from Republican political action committees (PACs) in the state, reported the News & Observer. Whatley trails former Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper by nine points as of Wednesday, according to RealClearPolling.
Strategic Shift and PAC Reallocation
Whatley’s campaign did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment. The top Republican super PAC, Senate Leadership Fund, paused its spending in North Carolina after investing $30 million in the race to support Whatley. The PAC planned to spend $14 million in Kansas and over $100 million in Texas through its affiliated PAC.
Americans for Prosperity Action, a PAC aligned with the Koch brothers, excluded North Carolina from its $22 million spending plan for key races. Old North Action removed $6.5 million in ad reservations in September, as first reported by Semafor. No Going Back PAC, aligned with Trump, had no planned ads for the week of Oct. 5 in North Carolina and was prepared to spend under $90,000 in Georgia. The super PAC, along with MAGA Inc. and the Safety and Affordability PAC, spent over $163 million on advertising since Sept. 1, according to KARK, an NBC News affiliate.
Political Landscape and Polling
WinSenate, a PAC aligned with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s Senate Majority PAC, removed roughly $1.1 million in North Carolina ad buys while Cooper remained ahead. The PAC had $18.8 million in reservations for the state through Election Day.
Republican Sen. Thom Tillis announced he would not seek reelection in June 2025 after President Trump threatened to back a primary challenger over Tillis’s vote against the One Big Beautiful Bill. Trump endorsed Whatley early in the election cycle after Whatley chaired the Republican National Committee alongside his daughter-in-law, former co-chair Lara Trump, during Trump’s 2024 campaign.
More than half of registered voters, 53%, said they would vote for Democrats if the election were currently held, while 41% preferred Republicans, according to a PBS News/NPR/Marist poll from Sept. 23. Independent voters preferred Democrats by a 25-point margin.
The National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) ran several television ads for campaigns in Alaska, Iowa, Ohio, and New Hampshire, according to Punchbowl News. The committee is not airing any ads to support Whatley or Collins.
NEWS — Republican Michael Whatley’s Senate campaign has paused TV advertising in North Carolina as it rethinks its strategy, per @newsobserver. The move comes as outside GOP groups have also shifted millions in planned spending away from the race, including toward Kansas.
Source: Daily Caller
