NC candidates compete for GOP US Senate primary

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The 2026 midterm election cycle is in full swing. With the eventual departure of Republican U.S. Senator Thom Tillis on the horizon, North Carolinians will now need to decide who will represent the Tar Heel State at the U.S. Capitol.

There are several candidates in the running already, and on March 3, 2026, voters in both the Democratic and Republican parties will decide which candidate will move forward to the general election on Nov. 3, 2026.

RELATED: 2026 North Carolina primary election | How to watch live coverage on WCNC+

Six candidates have thrown their hats in the ring. They are listed here alphabetically:

Whatley is perhaps one of the more high-profile candidates; originally from Blowing Rock and now living in Gaston County, the former chairman of the Republican National Committee been endorsed by President Donald Trump, who visited North Carolina in December to campaign with him. 

Whatley’s career began as a federal law clerk in Charlotte, then serving in former President George W. Bush’s administration in the Department of Energy. He also served as chief of staff for Sen. Elizabeth Dole, who herself served as a member of the Agriculture, Banking and Armed Services committees.

During Trump’s first administration, Whatley was tapped to lead that administration’s transitions teams for energy, agriculture, and environment. He also oversaw the development of Trump’s Farm Plan and Energy Plan then.

He earned his undergraduate degree in history from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and a master’s degree in religion from Wake Forest University. He also earned a law degree and a master’s degree in theology from Notre Dame.

Morrow ran in 2024 for North Carolina state superintendent, losing to Democrat Mo Green. Her campaign then saw previous social media posts shared in 2020 that suggested the assassination of prominent Democratic leaders come back into light. In an interview with WCNC Charlotte anchor Ben Thompson in 2024, Morrow said, “While it is very shameful, it is not surprising that the left is wanting to focus on 5-year-old comments made on a social media thread.”

When asked if that violent rhetoric undermines her message of cracking down on violence and bullying in classrooms, Morrow asked, “Is there a perfect person on this ballot? Absolutely not, because Jesus Christ is not running.”

Morrow promises to focus on cutting federal regulations, energy independence, border security, education reforms, and preventing transgender athletes from participating in interscholastic athletic competition. She’s also vowed to replace the Affordable Care Act, boost funding for law enforcement, reform federal disaster response, and make changes to elections, such as restricting mail-in voting and reducing early voting.

Brown’s campaign website touts his experience as a former U.S. Navy JAG Officer who served in the Pentagon and as a former Special Assistant U.S. Attorney. He said he fought against what he calls “woke and liberal Rules of Engagement” for U.S. military members, fought alleged 2020 election fraud, fought vaccination requirements and mask mandates during COVID-19 restrictions, and acted as an advocate and attorney for people prosecuted for actions during the riots at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. He also said he secured a presidential pardon for Trump.

Brown promises to cut non-military personnel and apply the savings to the national debt, along with cutting two-thirds of federal agencies. He also wants to prohibit Congress from passing budgets or continuing resolutions where spending exceeds revenues. He also wants to codify the Department of Government Efficiency – an effort originally spearheaded by X and Tesla CEO Elon Musk –  eliminate federal income tax, prevent vaccine and mask mandates, enact constitutional protections for unborn children, protect shrimpers, eliminate the Department of Education, eliminate the classification of “nonessential” workers, and enact a nationwide “Constitutional carry” policy. He also supports term limits on members of Congress.

Dansie’s campaign website promotes him as anti-socialist, saying he plans to focus on limiting the federal government if elected. Dansie is an Army veteran and senior network security engineer, originally hailing from Utah. While in the Army, he was a Signal Intelligence Analyst in Eastern Europe. He returned to the U.S. to build his career. 

Dansie bases his campaign values on those of American economist Milton Friedman. Dansie says the federal government must serve the people by defending the country from foreign enemies, protecting citizens from abuse and coercion by other citizens, defining the legal framework of the country, and adjudicating disputes about the rules in courts. Dansie wants a simplified tax system, a national physician registry accessible to patients, to reform the medical claims process, and to hold Congress accountable with performance-based incentives.

Johnson’s campaign website notes his story began in foster care, and he was adopted at the age of five. He went on to attend the U.S. Air Force Academy, later serving as an officer before becoming a CIA Fellow, building intelligence satellites to bolster American security. He also says he survived the 9/11 terror attack on the Pentagon. After his time serving in the government, he worked at Lockheed Martin, Capital One, and Accenture before founding his own consulting firm, Agile Immersive. His website says he’s worked with T-Mobile, MetLife, and FedEx.

Johnson’s campaign claims he has an Evangelical Christian vision for North Carolina and wants to address what he describes as a “fatherlessness” crisis in the state. He vows to extend the protections afforded by the Religious Freedom Restoration Act in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak, expedite the removal of Veterans Affairs’ employees who “contribute to substandard care” for veterans, and to amend the FRIDGE Act of 2025 to “reduce cost, complexity, freight bottlenecks and delivery inefficiency to reduce America’s food costs by 15% or more”.

Temple does not have a campaign website as of publication, although Ballotpedia notes she is a music teacher from Smithfield.

The open seat could determine control of the U.S. Senate, making it a national battleground likely to attract millions in campaign spending from Democrats and Republicans.

The most likely Democratic opponent will be Roy Cooper, who previously served two terms as North Carolina’s governor.

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