National Republican Chairman Whatley won’t keep other job leading North Carolina GOP

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — New Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley will resign from his other position leading the North Carolina GOP later this month.

Whatley was former President Donald Trump’s handpicked choice to succeed longtime RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel, and was elected last Friday at an RNC meeting.

In an open letter to the state Republican Party on Monday, Whatley said that he had decided to step down as state chairman “after prayerful consideration and conversations” with family, Trump and his campaign and many Republican candidates and leaders.

A North Carolina GOP spokesperson said last week that the state party’s bylaws don’t prohibit someone from serving simultaneously as state and national chairman. Whatley was first elected state chairman in 2019 and served for some time during that period as the RNC’s general counsel.

“I feel that it is important for us to have a Chair who can focus solely on winning the critical races up and down the ballot in North Carolina, work closely with President Trump and his campaign and continue to work daily with all of our county and district parties, auxiliary groups and Republican Candidates,” Whatley wrote.

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Whatley also announced a March 26 meeting of the state GOP’s Executive Committee, where he’ll resign and membership can choose a new chair to serve through the state convention in mid-2025.

State Republican Party Executive Director Jason Simmons quickly entered his name as a candidate for the chairmanship, citing his work in his current job over the past three years and his previous positions working for Trump’s 2016 and 2020 presidential campaigns.

“Given our position as a key battleground state, we have an immense opportunity ahead of us to re-elect President Trump and take back the Governor’s Mansion” through the election of Republican nominee Mark Robinson, Simmons wrote committee members.

“We cannot afford to squander this opportunity,” he said. “Now is not the time for any on-the-job training.”

Simmons has the endorsement of Sen. Ted Budd, who said in a separate written statement that Simmons has a “proven track record of helping President Trump and North Carolina Republicans win.”

Whatley, from Gaston County, heads a new RNC leadership team that includes Trump daughter-in-law Lara Trump as the committee co-chair and Trump campaign senior adviser Chris LaCivita as RNC chief of staff. The new leadership team already has started making changes, with dozens of employees across key departments getting fired.

In Monday’s letter, Whatley highlighted efforts during his state GOP tenure to encourage early voting and protect “election integrity,” as well as online fundraising and volunteer training.

He cited electoral victories for Republicans to hold majorities on the state Supreme Court and Court of Appeals. They also retained control of the General Assembly, where a party flip by a Democratic legislator gave the GOP veto-proof control in both chambers.

North Carolina went to Trump’s side of the electoral tally board in the previous two elections, although he won in 2020 by just over 1 percentage point.

But with Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper winning reelection in 2020, Republicans continued a run where they’ve lost seven of the last eight general elections for the post.