Trump stumps for Senate candidate in North Carolina as Republicans fear losing the seat
Michael Whatley could bear the brunt of voters' economic frustrations.
President Donald Trump is making his first campaign trip since he rallied Republicans at the party's midterm convention -- stumping for North Carolina Senate candidate Michael Whatley, whose race could decide control of Congress in November.
The seat would typically be a comfortable bet for the GOP -- North Carolina hasn't elected a Democrat to the Senate since 2008, and Trump won the state in the past three presidential elections. But economic pain is hitting the state hard, which could impact the race.
The president's visit to Gastonia, North Carolina -- just outside the Charlotte metro area -- comes as polls show Whatley, the former chair of the Republican National Committee, continues to trail behind former Gov. Roy Cooper, a Democrat elected statewide in North Carolina six times, in a race that has seen millions in cash poured into it.
Doug Heye, a Republican strategist and former communications director for the RNC, said he always thought this year's Senate race in North Carolina, replacing retiring Sen. Thom Tillis, would be "tough" for Republicans. North Carolina's Senate race is among several crucial races for control of the upper chamber where Republican have a narrow majority.
As prices continue to go up from the gas pump to the grocery store aisle, experts say North Carolinians' concerns over affordability are dominating the conversation on the ground -- and Whatley could end up bearing the brunt of those frustrations at the ballot box.
"The No. 1 thing people are talking about is what they just spent, whether that's at the gas station or at the grocery store or at a restaurant," said Heye, a North Carolina native who has spent time in the state this year.
Dr. Susan Roberts, a political science professor at nearby Davidson College, says that most voters are going to consider the cost of living when deciding who to vote for in November.
"I don't think it's going to be a referendum on Trump, as it is a referendum on the economy -- and what Trump might have wrought,” Roberts said.
Cooper has branded his latest campaign swing as a "Make Stuff Cost Less" tour, as North Carolina Democrats work to tie Whatley -- a close Trump ally who led the North Carolina GOP before taking up the mantle at the RNC -- to the rise in prices that voters have experienced over the course of Trump's second term in office.
David Brown, the chair of the local Democratic Party, says that Trump's visit to his county comes as high costs are "eating into everybody's budgets."
"He's coming at a time when we're seeing all these record gas prices from his Iran war," Brown said.
Some Republicans -- as well as the White House -- have argued that policies passed by the Biden administration are the reason for the rising costs across the country, but Heye notes that in American politics, "the president who's in power is the one who gets the credit or the blame" on the economy.
The Whatley campaign is eager to welcome the president to Gaston County, where Trump defeated Kamala Harris by more than 20 points in 2024.
"No one fires up Republicans to get out and vote like President Trump does and his visit is an important part of turning out Republicans to the polls this November," Whatley campaign spokesperson DJ Griffin told ABC News in a statement.
Heye noted that Trump has historically driven turnout, but only when Trump is on the ballot.
"There is a drop off when it's not him,” he said, before adding that Trump also tends to drive turnout among Democrats as well.
At the Republican Midterm Convention last week, Trump told Republicans to "pretend that I'm on the ballot."
“When I'm on the ticket, Republicans always do very well ...," Trump said. "So I'm asking you to pretend that I'm on the ballot. I'm on the ballot. I'm on the -- just one more time."
The Cooper campaign characterized the president's visit to the state as a bail-out attempt from "Whatley's D.C. insider friends" -- adding in a statement that Cooper is the "only candidate with plans to make stuff cost less."
Jay Berry, a small business owner in nearby Lincolnton whose manufacturing company has contracts with the government, says that even though gas prices have gone up, he’s glad the president is visiting.
"Everybody loves President Trump," he said.
But Berry said he won’t be attending Wednesday's event, telling ABC News that he has heard enough campaign speeches and already believes that Whatley will be a "better leader" than Cooper.
“I don’t need to go see the cow, knowing that’s what I’m going to buy."
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