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Michael Whatley
American politician and lawyer From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Michael Whatley (born 1968 or 1969)[1] is an American politician and lawyer who served as the 66th chairman of the Republican National Committee (RNC) from March 2024 to August 2025. He previously served as chair of the North Carolina Republican Party from 2019 to 2024, the last year of which he also served as the RNC's general counsel.
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Born and raised in Western North Carolina, Whatley earned bachelor's degree from the University of North Carolina, Charlotte, a master's degree from Wake Forest University, and a second master's and a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Notre Dame. After working on the presidential campaign of George W. Bush in 2000, he served in the U.S. Department of Energy during the Bush administration. In 2004, he became chief of staff to Senator Elizabeth Dole, serving until 2007. In 2019, Whatley was elected chair of the Republican Party of North Carolina, serving until his election as RNC Chair in 2024.
In July 2025, Whatley announced his candidacy for the United States Senate in 2026.
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Early life and education
Whatley is from Watauga County, North Carolina. He graduated from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte with a bachelor's degree in history in 1991 and from Wake Forest University with a master's degree in religion in 1993. He then earned a master's degree in theology in 1994 and a Juris Doctor degree in 1997 from the University of Notre Dame.[2]
Whatley began working in Republican Party politics when he volunteered on the 1984 reelection campaign of U.S. senator Jesse Helms while he was a sophomore at Watauga High School.[3]
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Political career
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White House and Capitol Hill
In 2000, Whatley was a member of George W. Bush's team pursuing the Florida recount. During Bush's presidency, Whatley served in the United States Department of Energy as deputy assistant secretary.[4] In 2004, he became chief of staff for U.S. Senator Elizabeth Dole, replacing Frank Hill.[4][5] In 2007, Whatley became a partner at lobbying firm HBW Resources, and in 2008 he became executive vice president for the Consumer Energy Alliance; he held the position until 2019.[6][7] In 2016, Whatley helped Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump campaign and organize rallies in North Carolina.[6]
North Carolina Republican Party Chair
In June 2019, the North Carolina Republican Party selected Whatley to succeed Robin Hayes as their chair.[8][9] Whatley was closely involved in President Donald Trump's efforts to overturn the result of the 2020 presidential election, including participating in the December 2020 phone call on which Trump urged Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to "find" the votes he needed to win the state.[10]
Following the United States Capitol attack on January 6, 2021, Whatley refused to blame Trump, saying that only those who participated in the riots bear responsibility.[11][12] In February 2021, Whatley said, "We certainly saw evidence of voting irregularities, of election counting irregularities in a number of places around the country", and that the reason Trump won North Carolina was his state party's vigilance against Democrats' attempts to cheat.[13] Also in February 2021, the state party voted unanimously to censure Senator Richard Burr for voting to convict President Trump during his second impeachment.[14]
Republican National Committee Chair
The Republican National Committee appointed Whatley as its general counsel in February 2023.[15] In February 2024, Donald Trump endorsed Whatley to replace Ronna McDaniel as chair of the RNC.[16] In March 2024, Whatley was elected as the new chair of the RNC, along with Lara Trump as his co-chair.[17][18] Per the North Carolina party's 2022 plan of organization, its vice chair (Susan Mills) served as state chair until a successor was elected.[19][20] During his tenure as chair of the RNC the Republican party won the presidency as well as a U.S. Senate and House majority in the 2024 United States elections.
In January 2025, Whatley was reelected as chair of the RNC.[21]
2026 United States Senate race
On July 24, 2025, press reports announced that Whatley would run for U.S. Senate with President Trump's support.[22][23] It is expected that he will vacate his position as chair of the RNC while running for the Senate seat.[24]
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References
External links
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