Republicans turned out at the Gastonia Municipal Airport on Wednesday evening to see President Donald Trump speak six weeks before the midterm elections. They were less enthusiastic, however, about hearing from the man set to appear onstage with him: North Carolina Republican Senate nominee Michael Whatley.
In fact, many of those Republicans did not even know who Whatley was.
“Who is that?” a group of women asked upon Whatley’s arrival at Wednesday’s event.
Many voters throughout the day told MS NOW they had never heard of Michael Whatley despite Gastonia being Whatley’s hometown and current place of residence. And most of the people who did know Whatley’s name said they didn’t know enough about him to have an opinion on whether they would vote for him.
“I don’t know him or the other person, so I’ve got to do a little bit of homework,” Republican and ardent Trump supporter Becky Hood told MS NOW. “I’m going to look at both guys and then decide.”
Whatley’s name-recognition problem comes at a difficult moment in his race against former Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper, with Republicans defending both their Senate majority and the seat being vacated by retiring GOP Sen. Thom Tillis. Democrats landed a star recruit in Cooper in the Tar Heel State, and recent polling has shown him leading Whatley in the contest for a seat Republicans currently hold.
The contest is also unfolding amid persistent inflation and the ongoing war with Iran — issues that voters at Wednesday’s event raised with MS NOW. Even in states like North Carolina, where GOP candidates should be more competitive, Republicans face other headwinds, including Trump’s sagging approval ratings and voter concerns over cost of living.
Trump has said he plans to come to the GOP’s rescue and has asked voters to pretend he’s on the ballot in November. He’s even offered $5,000 checks to every voter if the GOP keeps the congressional majority. His Wednesday rally for Whatley is part of what the president has said will be an all-out effort to personally campaign for the most vulnerable Republican candidates before the election.
Despite Trump’s endorsement and a recent appearance alongside the president at the Republican National Convention, Whatley has failed to drum up major enthusiasm in the purple state. A recent poll from Elon University put him 11 points behind his Democrat challenger. MS NOW’s race ratings also currently categorizes the race as “lean Democratic.”
Whatley has largely mirrored Trump’s messaging throughout his campaign and most recently at the Republican National Convention, where he spoke last week.
“I’m excited to run for Senate because President Trump needs an ally,” Whatley told the crowd at his rally on Wednesday.
But some voters who spoke with MS NOW expressed frustration with the cost of living and questioned whether closely aligning himself with Trump would help Whatley.
“I think now, rational people may not agree 100% with Trump. I don’t think it’s good to lead with him at this point,” former Trump supporter Fred Abromitis told MS NOW. “I think right now it’s gas prices, and of course the Iran war has driven that. But just the cost of living, I mean everything is so expensive.”
“I actually personally think it’s not a good idea to attach yourself to a president whose ratings are what they are,” independent and past Republican voter Hanneke Elemans told MS NOW.
It’s not just Whatley whom Trump promises to stump for — the president said he would hit the campaign trail in all 35 contests he considers swing races ahead of November.
“I’m going to go to every one of those states for congressmen and for senators. I’m going to do that, and we’re going to have rallies,” Trump said at the RNC last week.
But is he too late?
MS NOW reported earlier this month that Trump had not yet begun spending the nearly $850 million his super PAC, MAGA Inc., had amassed. Trump later said he has “around a billion dollars” to spend, but he noted that he is in control of where that money goes and when.
“I do this, I do that. I’m going to be making contributions to various campaigns,” he said. “This is my money, that I control.”
With so little time left in the game, funds and campaigns may no longer be enough for Republicans to maintain control of Congress. And if Trump can’t save them, can they survive?
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